


The Worst is Here

by Castiel_Novak_79



Series: Hunters Series [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:13:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 115,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29543595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castiel_Novak_79/pseuds/Castiel_Novak_79
Summary: Andrew and Averie Walker track down Azazel, the demon responsible for the deaths of their mother Madison, and father Ethan.
Series: Hunters Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170158





	1. In My Time of Dying

~HOSPITAL. SIOUX FALLS, NORTH DAKOTA. DAY~

Averie sits up, works her jaw, gets out of bed. She is wearing a white t-shirt, blue hospital pants, and nothing else. She goes into the hallway, "Andrew? Dad? Anybody?" she walks down the stairs and finds a nurse's station. "Excuse me. Hi. I, uh, i think I was in a car accident, my Dad and my brother, I just need to find them." the nurse ignores her, she snaps her fingers "Hello?" She shakes her head and goes back upstairs to her room, she gasps when she sees her own body laying in the bed, intubated and dying.

Still reeling from the shock of seeing her unconscious body, Averie turns, relieved, as Andrew enters. He stops at the door and stares at his sister's body, breathing heavily "Andy! You look better." "Oh no.." he mutters "Man, tell me you can hear me. How's dad? Is he okay? Come on, you're the psychic. Give me some ghost whispering or something!" she stares at him. The doctor walks in "Your father's awake. You can go see him if you like." "Thank god!" she says smiling. "Doc, what about my sister?" "Well, she sustained serious injury: blood loss, contusions to her liver and kidney. But it's the head trauma I'm worried about. There's early signs of cerebral edema." Averie stands there listening, "Well, what can we do?" "Well, we won't know her full condition until she wakes up. _If_ she wakes up." 

"If?" Andrew asks tearing up, "I have to be honest —" Averie glares at the doctor "Oh, screw you, Doc, I'm waking up." "Most people with this degree of injury wouldn't have survived this long. She's fighting very hard. But you need to have realistic expectations." she walks in front of Andrew "Come on, Andy. Go find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on me."

Andrew and Averie walk down the hall, she keeps trying to talk to him "Come on! Andrew William Walker, talk to me!" he breezes past her, she frowns "I just want you to see me." she whispers sadly. They walk into Ethan's hospital room, Ethan is lying in a hospital bed, his arm in a sling. Awkwardly one-handed, he pulls something out of his wallet "Here. Give them my insurance." Andrew takes the card Ethan gives him, smiling as he reads it. "Elroy McGillicutty?" he chuckles, Ethan nods "And his two loving kids. So, what else did the doctor say about Averie?" "Nothing. Look. The doctors won't do anything, then we'll have to, that's all. I don't know, I'll find some priest or a faith healer." 

Averie looks at them, "We'll look for someone." Ethan says sighing "Yeah.." "But Andrew, I don't know if we're gonna find anyone." "Why not? I found that faith healer before." "All right, that was, that was one in a million." "So what? Do we just sit here with our thumbs up our ass?" "No, I said we'd look. All right? I'll check under every stone." Ethan sighs, "Where's the Colt?" Andrew looks at him and scoffs "Your daughter is dying, and you're worried about the Colt?" "We're hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us too. That gun may be our only card." Andrew glares at him "It's in the trunk. They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83." "All right. You've gotta clean out that trunk before some junk man sees what's inside." 

"I already called Dean. He's like an hour out, he's gonna tow the Impala back to his place." "All right. You, you go meet up with him. you get that Colt, and you bring it back to me. And you watch out for hospital security." "I think I've got it covered." He gets up to leave; Ethan stops him, picking up a sheet of paper "Hey. Here. I made a list of things I need, have Dean pick them up for me." "Acacia? Oil of Abramelin? What's this stuff for?" "Protection." he nods "Hey, Dad? You know, the demon, he said he had plans for me, and children like me. Do you have any idea what he meant by that?" "No, I don't.." Andrew leaves, Averie stares at Ethan "You sure as hell know something.."

~JUNKYARD~

Andrew looks down at the mangled car. Dean stands next to him, "Oh man, Averie is gonna be pissed." "Look, Andrew. This... this just ain't worth a tow. I say we empty the trunk, sell the rest for scrap." "No. She would kill me if we did that. When she gets better she's gonna want to fix this." "There's nothing to fix. The frame's a pretzel, and the engine's ruined. There's barely any parts worth salvaging." Andrew sighs "Listen to me. If there's only one working part, that's enough. We're not just going to give up on..." Dean nods "Okay, you got it." 

"Here, uh, Dad asked for you to get this stuff for him." he hands Dean the list, he looks at it frowning "What's Ethan want with this?" "Protection from the demon?" he gives Andrew a look "What?" "Oh, nothing, it's just, uh --" "Dean, What's going on?" 

~AVERIE'S HOSPITAL ROOM~

Ethan sits next to her bed, Averie stands nearby "Come on, Dad. You've gotta help me. I've gotta get better, I've gotta get back in there. I mean, you haven't called a soul for help. You haven't even tried. Aren't you going to do anything? Aren't you even going to say anything?" she starts walking around the bed "I've done everything you have ever asked me. Everything. I have given everything I've ever had. And you're just going to sit there and you're going to watch me die? I mean, what the hell kind of father are you?" she looks up when she hears something. "What is that?" she whispers, Averie goes into the hallway and a spirit whooshes past her. She jumps back, "I take it you didn't see that." she says looking back at Ethan.

Averie stalks the spirit down the hallways. She sees it go into a back hallway where a woman is lying on the floor, choking. "Help! Help!" the woman calls out, Averie looks around "Hey! I need some help in here!" "I can't... breathe!" she pants loudly, trying desperately to breathe, then goes silent. Averie, leaning over her, looks on helplessly. 

~ETHAN'S ROOM~

Andrew stalks into the room with a duffel bag; Averie meets him at the door and starts trying to talk to him. "Andy! Tell me you can friggin' hear me, man, there's something in the hospital. Now, you've got to bring me back and we've got to hunt this thing. Andrew!" Ethan looks at him "You're quiet." Andrew turns, fuming, and hurls the bag onto the bed with a crash. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?" "What are you talking about?" "That stuff from Dean, you don't use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one. You're planning on bringing the demon here, aren't you? Having some stupid macho showdown?!" Ethan sighs "I have a plan." 

"That's exactly my point! Averie is dying, and you have a plan! You know what, you care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own daughter!" Andrew yells, Averie looks at them "No, no, no, guys, don't do this!" "Do not tell me how I feel! I am doing this for her." "How? How is revenge going to help her? You're not thinking about anybody but yourself, it's the same selfish obsession!" She starts tearing up "Come on guys, don't do this!" 

Ethan glares at Andrew "You know, it's funny, I thought it was your obsession too! This demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend. You begged me to be part of this hunt. Now if you'd killed that damn thing when you had the chance, none of this would have happened." "It was possessing you, Dad, I would have killed you too." "Yeah, and your sister would be awake right now." "Shut up, both of you!" she shrieks starting to cry. Andrew stares at Ethan "Go to hell." "I should have never taken you along in the first place. I knew it was a mistake, I knew I was wrong —"

Averie clenches her hand shut "I said SHUT UP!" she smacks a glass of water off the table and it goes flying, crashing to the floor. Andrew and Ethan look at each other, confused, Averie looks stunned. "Dude, I full-on Swayze'd that." she crumples in pain, flickering. Nurses and doctors start running by in the hallway, "What's going on?" "Something's going on out there. Go look." Ethan says to Andrew.

~AVERIE'S ROOM~

Monitors are beeping, a doctor and some nurses are surrounding Averie, trying to resuscitating her. "All clear!" Andrew stands in the doorway with tears in his eyes "No..Avie, please." the nurse sighs "Still no pulse." "Okay, let's go again, 360." "Charging." Andrew backs out of the room crying, he backs into a wall and collapses, he buries his face in his knees and starts sobbing. Averie walks over to him "Andy, I'm gonna be fine.." she looks up and sees a ghostly figure floating over the body lying in the bed. "You get the hell away from me." she runs to the bed and tackles the thing down, yelling. 

"I said get back!" Andrew looks up and tilts his head as if he heard something. Averie grabs for the spirit; she latches on momentarily before it hurls her back and then soars out of the room. The monitors slow, quiet, the nurse smiles "We have a pulse. We're back into sinus rhythm." Averie runs into the hallway, looking for the spirit; it's vanished. Andrew sighs in relief and watches from the hall. Averie comes back, stands by him "Don't worry, Andy. I'm not going anywhere. I'm getting that thing before it gets me. It's some kind of spirit, but I could grab it. And if I can grab it, I can kill it." 

Andrew turns to where Averie was standing as she walks away. She wanders the halls and hears someone screaming "Can't you see me? Why won't you look at me?" "Oh god, what's happening now?" "Somebody talk to me! Say something, please!" Averie walks up to the girl "Can you see me?" "Yeah.." "All right, just, uh, calm down. What's your name?" "T-Tessa." "Okay, good, Tessa, I'm Averie." Tessa stares at her "What's happening to me? Am - am I dead?" "That sort of depends.."

~TESSA'S ROOM~

Averie and Tessa stand outside a room, watching what is apparently Tessa's body, hooked up to tubes and machines. A woman sits by the bed, holding her hand, "I don't understand. I just came in for an appendectomy." Averie sighs "Well, I hate to bear bad news, but I think there were some complications." "It's just a dream, that's all. It's just a very weird, unbelievably vivid dream." "Tessa. It's not a dream." "Then what else could it be?" "You ever heard of an out of body experience?" "What are you, some new agey person?" 

Averie gives Tessa a look "You see me messing with crystals or listening to Yanni? It's actually a very old idea. Got a lot of different names: Bilocation, crisis apparition, fetches... I think it's happening to us. And if it is, it means that we're spirits of people close to death." "So we're going to die?" "No. Not if we hold on. Our bodies can get better, we can snap right back in there and wake up."

~ETHAN'S ROOM~

Ethan looks at Andrew confused "What do you mean, you felt something?" Andrew sighs "I mean it felt like, like Averie. Like she was there, just out of eye shot or something. I don't know if it's my psychic thing or what, it... But do you think it's even possible? I mean, do you think her spirit could be around?" "Anything's possible." "Well, there's one way to find out." he turns to leave, "Where are you going?" "I gotta pick something up. I'll be back." "Wait, Andrew. I promise I won't hunt this demon. Not until we know Averie's okay."

~HALLWAY~

Averie and Tessa are walking down the hallway. "I gotta say, I'm impressed." Averie says, "With what?" "With you. Most people in your spot would be jello right now, but uh, you're taking this pretty well. Maybe a little better than me." "Don't get me wrong. I was pretty freaked at first. But now, I don't know. Maybe I'm dealing." Averie looks at her raising her eyebrows "So you're okay with dying?" "No, of course not. I just think, whatever's gonna happen's gonna happen. It's out of my control, it's fate." "Huh. Well, that's crap. You always have a choice. You can either roll over and die or you can keep fighting, no matter what —"

Averie listens to the PA System "Room 237, code blue. Dr. Kripke to room 237, code blue." she starts running down the hall, Tessa follows her "Where are you going?" "Just wait here." Averie continues to run down the hallway to another room in crisis. The same spirit is hovering over a little boy, who is being resuscitated. It reaches a hand into his face "Get away from him!" she lunges at the spirit, which vanishes. The nurses stop resuscitation, the doctor frowns "Okay, let's call it." the male nurse looks at the clock "Time of death, 5:11pm." "At least he's not suffering anymore." Averie stands there "But, the things gone?"

~AVERIE'S ROOM. NIGHT~

Averie leans against the wall "I couldn't save a little kid, what kind of hunter am I?" she looks over at the door when she hears it open, Andrew walks in clutching a brown bag to his chest. "Hey. I think maybe you're around. And if you are, don't make fun of me for this, but um, well, there's one way we can talk." He pulls out a box labeled "Mystical Talking Board" Averie moves behind him, arms folded, "Oh you gotta be kidding me." Andrew circles around the bed and sits cross legged on the floor. He opens the box and pulls out the board, "Averie, Av, you here?" "God, I feel like I'm at a slumber party." she sits across from him, she chuckles "This ain't gonna work Andy." 

Andrew has his hands poised on the pointer. Averie places her fingers on it and slowly, concentrating slides it to "YES" on the board. Andrew smiles "It's good to hear from you. It hasn't been the same without you." "Damn straight." she places her fingers on the pointer again and starts sliding it, spelling out "Hunting" he stares at the board "Av, what? H? U? Hunt? Hunting? What, are you hunting?" she slides the pointer back to "YES". He sighs "It's in the hospital, what you're hunting? Do, do you know what it is?" she laughs "One question at a time Dude." "What is it?"

The pointer slides again to R, E, A, P. "I don't think it's killing people. I think it's taking them. You know, when their time's just up." Averie says, Andrew's look softens "A reaper. Averie. Is it after you?" she nods and slides the pointer to "YES" "If it's here naturally, there's no way to stop it." she frowns "Yeah, you can't kill death." he shakes his head "You're-" she looks at the ground "I'm screwed." "No. No, no, no, um, there's gotta be a way." he stands up and starts pacing, she stands up watching him sadly. "There's gotta be a way. Dad'll know what to do." he leaves the room quickly.

~ETHAN'S ROOM~

Andrew walks in and sees the bed empty, "Dad?" he asks, he knocks on the bathroom door. No answer, he looks around the room and sees the duffel bag with the colt is missing.

~BOILER ROOM~

Ethan pushes the door open and enters, carrying the duffel bag. He walks through a dark and dripping hallway to a clear space, places the bag down. He pulls out a box of white chalk and starts drawing a large symbol on the floor.

~AVERIE'S ROOM~

Andrew returns carrying the journal. He sits on the edge of Averie's bed "Hey. So Dad wasn't in his room." Averie walks over "What? Where is he?" "But I got Dad's journal, so who knows? Maybe there's something here." he flips open the journal and leafs through it, glancing up at Averie's unconscious body occasionally. She comes to stand behind him "Thanks for not giving up on me, Andy." he turns to a page that says "Reapers", Averie leans over and reads something. Her eyes go wide "Son of bitch!" she jogs down the hallway.

~EMPTY ROOM~

Tessa is sitting on the edge of the bed, she's dressed differently. "Hi Averie." she says as Averie walks in "You know, you read the most interesting things. For example, did you know that reapers can alter human perception? I sure didn't. Basically they can make themselves appear however they want. Like, say, uh, a pretty girl. You are much prettier than the last reaper I met." "I was wondering when you would figure it out." she says smiling, "I should have known. That whole "accepting fate" rap of yours is far too laid back for a dead chick. But the mother, and the body, I'm still trying to figure that one out." 

Tessa shrugs "It's my sandbox, I can make you see whatever I want." Averie glares at her "What, is this like a turn-on for you? What, toying with me?" "You didn't give me much choice. You saw my true form and you flipped out. Kinda hurts a girl's feelings. This was the only way I could get you to talk to me." "Okay, fine. We're talking. What the hell do you want to talk about?" "How death is nothing to fear." she stands up and walks over to her, "It's your time to go, Averie. And you're living on borrowed time already." she says touching her cheek.

~BOILER ROOM~

Ethan has finished the chalk symbol, has placed several candles and a black bowl around it. He is incanting in Latin, He slides a knife across his palm, drawing blood and dripping it on the bowl. He lights a match and drops it in; the sand in the bowl flares and goes out. He stands, looking around. A hand grabs his shoulder, "What the hell are you doing down here, buddy?" a man asks him "I can explain." "Yeah? You're going to explain to security. Come on. You follow me." Ethan pulls the colt out and cocks it "How stupid do you think I am?"

The demon sighs, his eyes glow for a second, "You really want an honest answer to that?" Two possessed men in lab coats stalk by and take positions behind Ethan. "You conjuring me. I'm surprised. I took you for a lot of things. But suicidally reckless wasn't one of them." "I could always shoot you." "You could always miss." the demon says laughing, "And you've only got one try, don'tcha? Did you really think you could trap me?" "I don't wanna trap you." Ethan lowers the gun and sighs "I want to make a deal."

~AVERIE'S ROOM~

Andrew is standing on the window side of Averie's bed, hands in his pockets. "Av, you here?" he asks looking around. "I couldn't find anything in the book. I don't know how to help you. But I'll keep trying, all right? As long as you keep fighting. I mean, come on you can't, you can't leave me here alone with Dad. We'll kill each other, you know that." he starts tearing up "Averie, you gotta hold on. You can't go, not now. We were just starting to get close again. Can you hear me?"

~EMPTY ROOM~

Averie stares out a window "Look, I'm sure you've heard this before, but... you've gotta make an exception, you've gotta cut me a break." Tessa rolls her eyes "Stage three: bargaining." "I'm serious. My family's in danger. See, we're kind of in the middle of this, um, war, and they need me." "The fight's over." "No, it isn't." "It is for you. Averie. You're not the first soldier I've plucked from the field. They all feel the same. They can't leave. Victory hangs in the balance. But they're wrong. The battle goes on without them." Averie turns around "My brother. He could die without me." "Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Nothing you can do about it. It's an honorable death. A warrior's death."

"I think I'll pass on the seventy-two virgins, thanks. I'm not that into prude chicks anyway." Averie says chuckling, "That's funny. You're very cute." "There's no such thing as an honorable death. My corpse is going to rot in the ground and my family is going to die! No. I'm not going with you, I don't care what you do." "Well, like you said. There's always a choice. I can't make you come with me. But you're not getting back in your body. And that's just facts. So yes, you can stay. You'll stay here for years. Disembodied, scared, and over the decades it'll probably drive you mad. Maybe you'll even get violent." Tessa says looking at her, "What are you saying?" "How do you think angry spirits are born? They can't let go and they can't move on. And you're about to become one. The same thing you hunt."

~BOILER ROOM~

The demon (Azazel), Ethan, and the two minions are still in a circle around the summoning symbol. "It's very unseemly, making deals with devils. How do I know this isn't just another trick?" Azazel asks, "It's no trick. I will give you the Colt and the bullet, but you've got to help Averie. You've got to bring her back." "Why, Ethan, you're a sentimentalist. If only your children knew how much their daddy loved them." "It's a good trade. You care a hell of a lot more about this gun than you do her." "Don't be so sure. She killed some people very special to me. But still, you're right, she isn't much of a threat. And neither is your son." Ethan lowers his head, Azazel smiles "You know the truth, right? About _Andy_? And the other children?" 

"Yeah. I've known for a while." he says sadly, "But Andrew doesn't, does he? You've been playing dumb." "Can you bring Averie back? Yes or no?" "No. But I know someone who can. it's not a problem." Ethan nods "Good. Before I give you the gun, I'm going to want to make sure that she's okay. With my own eyes." Azazel looks at him playfully shocked "Oh, I'm offended. Don't you trust me?" he shakes his head "Fine." "So we have a deal?" "No Ethan, not yet. You still need to sweeten the pot." "With what?" "There's something else I want, as much as that gun. Maybe more."

~EMPTY ROOM~

Averie is sitting on the bed, Tessa is behind her. She strokes Averie's hair tenderly "It's time to put the pain behind you." "And go where?" "Sorry. I can't give away the big punchline. Moment of truth. No changing your mind later. So what's it going to be?" As she turns to look at Tessa, the lights start flickering, a familiar buzzing starts. "What are you doing that for?" "I'm not doing that." They both turn to a vent in the floor and see black demon ichor pour out of it, Averie looks surprised "What the hell?" "You can't do this! Get away!" "What's happening?" Tessa screams as the demon flows into her mouth. She turns, eyes glowing yellow "Today's your lucky day, kid." she places her hand on Averie's forehead, Averie drops to the ground.

~AVERIE'S ROOM~

Andrew sits on the edge of the bed crying and holding Averie's hand, she suddenly opens her eyes and starts choking on the tube in her throat. Andrew looks at her and jumps up running into the hallway "I need help in here!"

-Day-

The doctor looks at her and Andrew "I can't explain it. The edema vanished. The internal contusions are healed. Your vitals are good. You have some kind of angel watching over you." "Thanks, doc." she says, Andrew smiles as the doctor leaves. "So you said a Reaper was after me?" "Yeah." "How'd I ditch it?" "You got me. Av, you really don't remember anything?" she shakes her head "No. Except this pit in my stomach. Andrew, something's wrong."

They look at the door, Ethan stands there "Hey, how you feeling kiddo?" "Fine, I guess. I'm alive." "That's what matters." Andrew glares at him "Where were you last night?" "I had some things to take care of." "Well _that's_ specific." Averie sighs and looks at Andrew "Come on, Andy.." "Did you go after the demon?" "No." "You know, why don't I believe you right now?"

Ethan sighs "Can we not fight? You know, half the time we're fighting, I don't know what we're fighting about. We're just butting heads. Andy, I, I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't want to fight anymore, okay?" he frowns "Dad, are you okay?" "Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little tired. Would you, uh, would you mind getting me a cup of coffee?" "Yeah, sure." Andrew leaves frowning, Ethan watches him sadly.

Averie notices there's something wrong and tilts her head "What is it?" "You know, when you were a kid, I'd come home from a hunt, and after what I'd seen, I'd be, I'd be wrecked. And you, you'd come up to me and you, you'd put your hand on my shoulder and you'd look me in the eye and you'd... You'd say "It's okay, Dad"." he pauses tearing up "I'm so sorry Averie." "For what?" "You shouldn't have had to say that to me, I should have been saying that to you. You know, I put, I put too much on your shoulders, I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Andrew, you took care of me. You did that, and you didn't complain, not once. I just want you to know that I am so proud of you." "This really you talking?" 

"Yeah. Yeah, it's really me." Ethan says sighing, "Why are you saying this stuff?" he walks over and puts his hand on Averie's shoulder "I want you to watch out for Andy, okay?" "Yeah, Dad, you know I will. You're scaring me." "Don't be scared Av." He leans over and whispers something into her ear. Averie pulls back in shock, processing. Ethan leaves, and she stares after him with tears in her eyes.

~HALLWAY~

Andrew walks down the hall, he sees Ethan laying on the floor, unconscious, he drops the coffee and runs to him. "Dad!" he says, he looks up and starts screaming for help while holding Ethan close, "C'mon Dad, we just got Averie back, don't leave us!" A crowd of doctors and nurses attempt resuscitation, this time on Ethan. Averie and Andrew hover in the doorway, and a nurse tries to push them out "No, no, no, it's our dad. It's our dad!" she yells, "Let us in, please!" The doctor sighs "Okay, stop compressions." "Come on." Averie mutters, "Still no pulse." the one nurse says. Andrew hugs Averie close as she breaks down crying, he tears up and sighs "Av, it'll be okay.." The nurse looks up and the clock "Time of death: 10:41 am."


	2. Everybody Loves a Clown

~CARNIVAL. MEDFORD, WISCONSIN. DAY~

A young girl is being entertained by two clowns as her parents watch, the one hands her a ballon animal, "God, I hate clowns. They always creep me out." the Dad mutters, the Mom shushes him "She likes them." the girl walks over to them. "One last ride?" she asks, her Mom nods, the girl looks over to the side and sees a clown. She waves, it waves back a little creepy. She tugs on her Mom's sleeve "Look, Mom, another clown!" When the Mom looks over the clown has disappeared "What are you trying to do, scare your father?" "Hey." he chuckles.

~HOUSE. NIGHT~

The girl is asleep in bed and hears something. She gets up and goes to the window, sees the clown standing outside. Smiling, she goes downstairs and waves at him, then opens the door to let him in. He takes her hand and enters.

~A WEEK AGO (October 5, 2006), WOODS. NIGHT~

There's a burning funeral pyre. The only light comes from the wrapped, burning body. Standing behind, hands in their pockets, are Andrew and Averie. Andrew is near tears and fidgeting, Averie staring into the flames silently "Before he.. before, did he say anything to you? About anything?" she shakes her head "No, nothing." 

~PRESENT DAY (October 12, 2006). DEAN'S JUNKYARD/PLACE. DAY~

Averie is underneath her car working on it. It is little more than a rusted frame, but it looks considerably less crunched than last time. Andrew walks over "How's the car coming along?" "Slow." Averie says annoyed "Yeah? Need any help?" she drops something "Ow. What, you under a hood? I'll pass." "Need anything else, then?" Averie pushes herself out from under the car and stands "Stop it, Andrew." "Stop what?" he asks frowning. "Stop asking if I need anything, stop asking if I'm okay. I'm okay. Really. I promise." "All right, Averie, it's just... We've been at Dean's for over a week now and you haven't brought up Dad once."

Averie sighs "You know what? You're right. Come here. I'm gonna lay my head gently on your shoulder. Maybe we can cry, hug, and maybe even slow dance." Andrew glares at her "Don't patronize me, Dad is dead. The Colt is gone, and it seems pretty damn likely that the demon is behind all of this, and you're acting like nothing happened." "What do you want me to say?" "Say something, all right? Hell, say anything! Aren't you angry? Don't you want revenge? But all you do is sit out here all day long buried underneath this damn car."

"Revenge, huh?" she asks, "Yeah.." he says frowning. "Sounds good. You got any leads on where the demon is? Making heads or tails of any of Dad's research? Because I sure ain't. But you know, if we do finally find it - oh. No, wait, like you said. The Colt's gone. But I'm sure you've figured out another way to kill it. We've got nothing, Andrew. Nothing, okay? So you know the only thing I can do? Is I can work on the car." she crouches next to the car and continues working on the Impala more. 

"Well, we've got something, all right?" Andrew says pulling his phone out, "It's what I came by here to tell you. This is one of dad's old phones. Took me a while, but i cracked his voicemail code. Listen to this." he hands the cell phone to Averie, who stands and takes it reluctantly. ' _Ethan, it's Natalie. Again. Look, don't be stubborn, you know I can help you. Call me_.' "That message is four months old." he says, "Dad saved that chick's message for four months?" "Yeah." "Well, who's Natalie? Any mention of her in Dad's journal?" "No. But I ran a trace on her phone number and I got an address." she sighs "Ask Dean if we can use one of his cars."

~ROAD~

In a beat-up, poorly maintained minivan, Averie and Andrew pull up to the Roadhouse Saloon. "This is humiliating. I feel like a friggin' soccer mom!" she says, "It's the only car Dean had running." They get out "Hey. You bring the, uh," "Of course." He tosses something to Averie, who catches it. They open the door and go inside. The saloon is quiet except for a fly buzzing. A light bulb blows out. They go to the back and see a man passed out on the bar, "Hey, buddy?" Andrew asks, he looks over at Averie "I'm guessing that's not Natalie." "Yeah."

Andrew goes into a back room, looking around. Averie goes down the steps, then pauses as she feels the point of a gun touch her back "Oh god, please let that be a rifle." the red haired man cocks the rifle "No, I'm just real happy to see you. Don't move." "Not moving, copy that. You know, you should know something, sir. When you put a rifle on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back. Because it makes it real easy to do..." she turns around and takes the rifle from him "That." Jacob punches her in the face and takes back the rifle. Averie doubles over, clutching her nose "Andrew, need some help in here!" she mutters "I can't even see right now."

The back door opens to reveal Andrew, both hands on his head, he enters slowly. "Sorry, Averie, I can't right now. I'm a... little tied up." He nods his head, indicating Natalie, who is behind him with a handgun pointed at his head. "Andrew? Averie? Walker?" Averie and Andrew nod "Yeah." "Son of a bitch." she says lowering the handgun. Jacob looks over at her "Mom, you know these guys?" "Yeah, I think these are Ethan Walker's kids." she looks at them "I'm Natalie, this is my son, Jacob." he lowers his rifle, Averie smiles at him.

-

Natalie walks over to the freezer and gets ice, putting it in a towel. "Hey." Jacob says, "You're not gonna hit me again, are you?" she asks smirking. Natalie hands her the towel "Here you go." "Thanks. You called our dad, said you could help. Help with what?" "Well, the demon, of course. I heard he was closing in on it." "What, was there an article in the Demon Hunters Quarterly that I missed? I mean, who, who are you? How do you know about all this?" Natalie chuckles "Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again. Including your dad a long time ago. Ethan was like family once."

Averie tilts her head "Oh yeah? How come he never mentioned you before?" "You'd have to ask him that." "So why exactly do we need your help?" "Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But Ethan wouldn't have sent you if..." she stops, realizing "He didn't send you." Averie looks at the floor then at Andrew "He's all right, isn't he?" Andrew frowns "No. No, he isn't. It was the demon, we think. It, um, it just got him before he got it, I guess." "Oh, I'm so sorry." 

Averie sighs "It's okay. We're all right." "Really? I know how close you and your dad were." "Really, lady, I'm fine." Andrew looks at Averie, then Natalie "So look, if you can help, we could use all the help we can get." "Well, we can't. But James will." "Who's James?" She clears her throat "James!" The man passed out on the bar jerks awake and sits up, "What? It closin' time?" Andrew looks at him "That's James?" Jacob nods "Mm-hmm. He's a genius."

-

A brown folder is slapped down on the bar; Andrew and James are sitting together, Averie standing behind them. Jacob is on the other side of the bar pouring glasses of water "You've gotta be kidding me, this guy's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie." she says, "I like you, you're cool." James says. "Thanks?" Jacob smiles "Just give him a chance." Averie walks over and sits next to him "All right. This stuff's about a year's worth of our dad's work, so uh, let's see what you make of it." James pulls out the papers and starts rifling through them, he shakes his head "Come on. This crap ain't real. There ain't nobody can track a demon like this." Andrew smiles "Our dad could." 

"There are non-parametrics, statistical overviews, prospects and correlations, I mean.. damn! They're signs. Omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms... You ever been struck by lightening? It ain't fun." Andrew sighs "Can you track it or not?" "Yeah, with this, I think so. But it's gonna take time, uh, give me... fifty one hours." James gets up to leave, Averie stops him "I, uh, dig the _haircut_." she motions to his mullet. "Thanks. All business in the front, party in the back." As he leaves, Jacob walks by, flirting a little with Averie. She checks him out tiredly, then gets up to follow him. 

Andrew sees something behind the bar "Hey, Natalie, what's that?" "It's a police scanner. We keep tabs on things, we-" "No, no, no, no, the, um, the folder." "Uh, I was gonna give this to a friend of mine. But take a look, if you want." She takes a folder from the wall and places it in front of him. It has some newspaper clippings attached to the front, and on the front, in red marker:

 _COUPLE MURDERED_  
CHILD LEFT ALIVE  
MEDFORD, WISC.

Averie sits next to Jacob, "How did your mom get into this stuff, anyway?" "From my dad. He was a hunter. He passed away." "I'm sorry." "It was a long time ago. I was just a kid. Sorry to hear about your dad." "Yeah. So. I guess I've got fifty one hours to waste. Maybe tonight we should, uh..." he looks at her "No, you know what? Never mind." he tilts his head "What?". "Nothing, just, uh, wrong place, wrong time." "You know, I thought you were gonna toss me some cheap pickup line." Averie chuckles embarrassed. "Most hunters come through that door think they can get in my pants with some... pizza, a six pack, and side one of Zeppelin IV." "Well... what a bunch of scumbags."

Jacob smiles "Well, not you." "I guess not.." "Averie, come look at this!" Andrew calls from the bar, "Yeah?" she walks over "A few murders, not far from here, that Natalie caught wind of. Looks to me like there might be a hunt." "Yeah. So?" "I told her we'd check it out."

~HIGHWAY. NIGHT~

Back in the minivan, Averie drives. It's raining; Andrew is laying in the back, with the research open on his lap. "You've gotta be kidding me. A killer clown?" she asks, "Yeah. He left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents. Ripped them to pieces, actually." "And this family was at some carnival that night?" "Right, right. The, uh, Cooper Carnivals." she sighs "So how do you know we're not dealing with some psycho carnie in a clown suit?" he shrugs "Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearing down shop. Alibis all around. Plus this girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are saying trauma, of course."

Averie chuckles "Well, I know what you're thinking, Andy. _Why did it have to be clowns_?" he glares at her "Oh, give me a break." she laughs "You didn't think I'd remember, did you? I mean, come on, you still bust out crying whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television." "Well, at least I'm not afraid of flying." "Planes crash!" "And apparently clowns kill!" she smiles "So these types of murders, they ever happen before?" "Uh, according to the file, 1981, the Bunker Brothers Circus, same M.O. It happened three times, three different locales." "It's weird, though, I'm mean if it is a spirit it's usually bound to a specific locale, you know, a house, or a town."

Andrew sighs "So how's this one moving from city to city, carnival to carnival?" "Cursed object, maybe. Spirit attaches itself to something and the, uh, carnival carries it around with them." " _Great_. Paranormal scavenger hunt." "Well, this case was your idea. By the way, why is that? You were awfully quick to jump on this job." "So?" "It's just... not like you, that's all. I thought you were hell-bent for leather on the demon hunt." he bites his lip upset "I don't know, I just think, this job, it's what Dad would have wanted us to do." "What Dad would have wanted?" she asks surprised. "Yeah. So?" "Nothin'."

~FUNHOUSE~

A little boy and his father are going through the funhouse at the carnival. The boy is playing a hand-held videogame and not really paying attention. "Check it out. Hey, look, Evan! Scary!" Evan looks up at something else "Yeah Dad, _scary_." "No, it's over here. Wow. You know, when I was your age this would have scared the pants off of me." Evan ignores him. He looks up and sees the creepy clown from earlier waving at him. He looks around, and the clown is gone. "What is it?" his Dad asks, "I... I saw a clown!" "Don't be afraid of clowns. They're nice, they're your friends. Okay? Come on."

~EVAN'S HOUSE.~

Evan's parents are asleep; he places a hand on his dad's arm "Dad! Dad!" he wakes up slightly "Evan? What is it?" "You were right, he is my friend!" "Huh?" He looks up to see the Clown holding Evan's hand. It smiles. He screams.

~CARNIVAL - DAY~

The squeaky minivan pulls up outside the carnival. Averie sees what appear to be detectives talking to some carnies, she reaches into the backseat and wakes Andrew up "Dude, check it out. Five-o." he groans "Seriously, you wake me up for that?" "Yes, and we're there." he sits up "Oh." They change into their suits and get out.

-

Andrew stands with his hands in his pockets as a three-foot-tall woman in a clown outfit passes him. He stares at her, nervous, and she stares back before moving on. Averie walks over "You get her number?" she laughs, he scowls "More murders?" "Two more last night. Apparently they were ripped to shreds. And they had a little boy with them." "Who fingered a clown." Averie gives him a strange look "What?" he asks. "Yeah, a clown, who apparently vanished into thin air." "Av, you know, looking for a cursed object is like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. They could be anything." "Well, it's bound to give off EMF, so we'll just have to scan everything." "Oh, good, that's nice and... inconspicuous." she notices a "Help Wanted" sign and gestures to it "I guess we'll just have to blend in."

~BLIND MAN'S TENT~

A man is throwing knives at a target; they all land near but not quite on bulls-eye. Averie walks in in front of Andrew "Excuse me, we're looking for a Mr. Cooper, have you seen him around?" "What is that, some kind of joke?" the man asks turning around and taking off his sunglasses to reveal he's blind. "Oh. God, I'm, I'm sorry." "You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper? Or a sunset, or anything at all?" she whispers to Andrew "You wanna help me here?" "Not really." Another man walks into the tent "Hey man, is there a problem?" 

Averie turns around and sees a really short man in a cape "Yeah, this chick hates blind people." she shakes her head "No, I don't, I..." "Lady, what's your problem?" the man asks, she looks panicked "Nothing, it's just a little misunderstanding." "Little?! You son of a bitch!" "No, no, no, no! I'm just, could somebody tell me where Mr. Cooper is?" Andrew laughs watching his sister getting yelled at "Please?" she says scared.

~MR. COOPER'S TENT~

"You two picked a hell of a time to join up. Take a seat." Mr. Cooper says, Averie looks at the available chairs; one is normal, the other is pink, with a giant clown face on it. She beats Andrew to the normal chair. He scowls, fidgeting before sitting gingerly in the clown chair. "We've got all kinds of local trouble." "What do you mean?" she asks "Oh, a couple of folks got themselves murdered. Cops always seem to start here first. So, you two ever worked the circuit before?" Andrew nods "Yes sir, last year through Texas and Arkansas." "Doing what? Ride jockeys? Butcher?" "Yeah, it's, uh, little bit of everything, I guess." "You two have never worked a show in your lives before, have you?"

Averie sighs "Nope. But we really need the work. Oh, and uh, Andrew here's got a thing for the bearded lady." she smiles, Andrew kicks her leg. She starts looking at the walls and sees a picture "You see that picture? That's my daddy." "You look just like him." "He was in the business. Ran a freakshow. Till they outlawed them, most places. Apparently displaying the deformed isn't dignified. So most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress. I guess. You see, this place, it's a refuge for outcasts. Always has been. For folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you two? You should go to school. Find a couple of girls. Have two point five kids. Live regular." Averie is about to say something, but Andrew leans forward, very serious "Sir? We don't want to go to school. And we don't want regular. We want this."

~OUTSIDE~

Averie walks with Andrew "Huh." she says, he looks over at her "What?" "That whole, uh, I don't want to go back to school thing. Were you just saying that to Cooper or were you, you know, saying it?" "I don't know." "You don't know? I thought that once the demon was dead and the fat lady sings that you were gonna take off, head back to _Wussy_ _State_." he sighs "I'm having second thoughts." she looks at him "Really?" "Yeah. I think. Dad would have wanted me to stick with the job." "Since when do you give a damn what Dad wanted? You spent half your life doing exactly what he didn't want." "Since he died, okay? Do you have a problem with that?" he says upset, she shakes her head "No, I don't have a problem?"

-

Andrew is wearing a red "Cooper Carnival" jacket and picking up trash, while surreptitiously scanning with the EMF reader. He goes into the funhouse, still scanning. A skeleton falls from the ceiling; he scans it, not getting a reading, but looks like he has an idea.

Wearing a similar uniform jacket, Averie is putting trash into a dumpster when her cell phone rings. She picks up "Hello?" "Hey, Av." "What's the matter? You sound like you just saw a clown." " _Very_ _funny_. Skeleton, actually." "Like a real human skeleton?" "In the funhouse. Listen, I was thinking. What if the spirit isn't attached to a cursed object -- what if it's attached to its own remains?" she sighs "Did the bones give off EMF?" "Well, no, but --" "We should check it out anyway. I'm heading to you."

As she hangs up the phone, the Blind Man grabs her arm. "What are you doing here, kid?" "I-I was just...sweeping." "Bull. And what were you talking about? Skeletons? What's EMF?" "Dude, your hearing is out of control." he chuckles "We're a tight-knit group. We don't like outsiders. We take care of our own problems." "We got a problem?" she asks nervous "You tell me -- you're the one talking about human bones." "Do you believe in ghosts?" "What?" "My brother and me... umm. We're writing a book about them."

~NEAR THE FUNHOUSE~

Having gotten away from the blind guy, Averie approaches Andrew. "What took you so long?" "Long story.." a little girl nearby squeals "Mommy look a clown!" They both look over to see a little girl pointing at something. "What clown?" her mom asks, they look to where the little girl is pointing, but don't see anything. "Come on, sweetie, come on." Averie and Andrew share a look.

~FAMILY'S HOME. NIGHT~

Averie and Andrew are on stakeout outside the family's home. "Averie, I cannot believe you told Papazian about the homicidal phantom clown." "I told him an urban legend about a homicidal phantom clown. I never said it was real." Averie pulls a gun and cocks it. Andrew grabs at it, pushing her hands down "Keep that down!" "Oh, and get this. I mentioned the Bunker Brother's Circus in '81 and their, uh, evil clown apocalypse? Guess what." "What?" "Before Mr. Cooper owned Cooper Carnival, he worked for Bunker Brothers. He was their lot manager." "So you think whatever the spirit's attached to, Cooper just brought it with him?" "Something like that."

-

Averie is dozing as a light goes on in the dining room. Andrew shakes her awake. Inside, the little girl goes to the front door, where the phantom clown is waiting. "Wanna come in and play?" the clown nods, takes her hand and is led inside.

-

As the girl leads the clown down the hallway, Averie and Andrew are already hiding in wait, weapons ready. "Wanna see Mommy and Daddy? They're upstairs." Andrew leaps out and grabs the girl, who starts screaming, as Averie shoots the clown in the chest. It falls on its back, then gets up as she cocks the shotgun again. "Andrew, watch out!" the clown leaps out the window, turning invisible. The girl's parents come running "What's going on here? Get away from my--" "Oh my god, what are you doing to my daughter?!" "Who the hell are you? Get out! Get out of my house!" Andrew and Averie rush out of the house.

~BACK ROAD~

Averie and Andrew have parked the minivan off the side of a road and are digging out their belongings - including the license plates. "You really think they saw our plates?" he asks, "I don't wanna take the chance. Besides, I hate this friggin' thing anyway." they start walking down the road. "Well, one things for sure." she says, "What's that?" "We're not dealing with a spirit. I mean, that rock salt hit something solid." "Yeah, a person? Or maybe a creature that can make itself invisible?" "Yeah, and dresses up like a clown for kicks? Did it say anything in Dad's journal?" "Nope." Andrew pulls out his phone, "Who are you calling?" "Maybe Natalie or that guy James'll know something." 

He looks over at her "Hey, you think, uh, you think Dad and her ever had a thing?" "No way." Averie says cringing. "Then why didn't he tell us about her?" "I don't know, maybe they had some sort of falling out." "Yeah. You ever notice Dad had a falling out with just about everybody?" she nods, he lowers the phone "Well, don't get all maudlin on me." "What do you mean?" "I mean this "strong silent" thing of yours, it's crap." 

She groans "Oh god." "I'm over it. This isn't just anyone we're talking about, this is Dad. I know how you felt about the man." "You know what, back off, all right? Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want me to." "No, no, no, that's not what this is about, Averie. I don't care how you deal with this. But you have to deal with it. Listen, I'm your brother, all right? I just want to make sure you're okay." Averie glares at him "Dude, I'm okay. I'm okay, okay? I swear, the next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm gonna start throwing punches. These are your issues, quit dumping them on me!" Andrew looks at her "What are you talking about?" 

She scoffs "I just think it's really interesting, this sudden obedience you have to Dad. It's like, oh, what would Dad want me to do? Andrew, you spent your entire life slugging it out with that man. I mean, hell, you, you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him. And now that he's dead, now you want to make it right? Well, I'm sorry, but you can't, it's too little, too late." "Why are you saying this to me?" "Because I want you to be honest with yourself about this. I'm dealing with Dad's death! Are you?" he sighs and looks away.

-

Andrew listens to whoever's on the phone "Thanks a lot." he hangs up, "Rakshasa." Averie smiles "What's that? A exotic drink?" "Natalie's best guess. It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures. They appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited." "So they dress up like clowns, and the children invite 'em in." "Yeah." "Why don't they just munch on the kids?" He shrugs "No idea. Not enough meat on the bones, maybe?" she sighs "What else'd you find out?" "Well, apparently, Rakshasas live in squalor. They sleep on a bed of dead insects." " _Nice_." "Yeah, and they have to feed a few times every twenty or thirty years. Slow metabolism, I guess."

"Well, that makes sense. I mean, the Carnival today, the Bunker Brothers in '81." Averie says, "Right. Probably more before that." "Hey Andy, who do we know that worked both shows?" "Cooper?" "Cooper." "You know, that picture of his father, that looked just like him." "You think maybe it was him?" "Well, who knows how old he is?" "Natalie say how to kill him?" "Legend goes, a dagger made of pure brass." "I think I know where to get one of those." "Well, before we go stabbing things into Cooper, we're going to want to make damn sure it's him." "Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Andy." They smile at each other, Averie sighs "All right, I'll round up the blade, you go check if Cooper's got bedbugs."

~CARNIVAL~

Andrew picks the lock on Cooper's trailer and goes inside. 

Elsewhere, the Blind Man is leading Averie "Well, I've got all kinds of knives. I don't know if I've got a brass one, though."

In Cooper's trailer, Andrew pulls out a pocket knife and starts slicing open the mattress. A shotgun cocks behind him; Cooper is there, pointing the gun at him "What do you think you're doing?"

In Blind Man's trailer, he leads Averie in and taps a trunk with his cane. "Check the trunk." Averie opens the trunk and finds a red clown wig. She pauses, and stands "You?" He drops his cane, pulls off his glasses; his eyes look normal. "Me." His eyes get cloudy, his face begins to melt. He waves, then his face disappears, cheshire-cat style with his eyes glowing last. Averie struggles with the door in the trailer, trying to get out. A knife flies past her head to bury in the door. She jumps. Another lands with a thunk a little higher "All right!" she yells, she manages to get the door open and books it, stumbling.

"Hey!" Andrew says seeing her, "Hey." "So, Cooper thinks I'm a Peeping Tom, but it's not him." "Yeah, so I gathered. It's the blind guy. He's here somewhere." "Well did you get the-" "The brass blades? No. No, it's just been one of those days." "I got an idea. Come on." They enter the funhouse; as they go through, a door slams between them. They struggle to open it "Andrew!" "Averie, Av, find the maze, okay?"

-

Andrew finds a pipe organ, which is giving off steam. He grabs for one of the pipes, but it's too hot. "Gah!" he yells flinching from the heat. He takes something from his pocket and starts pulling off a pipe. Averie comes around the corner "Hey." "Hey! Where is it?" "I don't know, I mean, shouldn't we see its clothes walking around?" A knife flies past Averie, pinning her sleeve to the wall. Another one pins her wrist "Andrew!" He pulls the pipe all the way off and stalks forward slowly. A knife flies past his head; he dodges, "Av, where is he?" "I don't know!"

Averie reaches up and pulls a lever; more steam pours from the pipe organ, giving a vague shape to the invisible attacker, which she sees. "Andrew, behind you! Behind you!" he stabs the pipe behind him without looking. He turns and sees it buried in the still-invisible creature, blood pouring from the wound. Averie manages to free herself. They look to where it's fallen and see only empty clothes and a bloody pipe "I hate fun houses."

~ROADHOUSE SALOON. DAY~

Averie and Andrew are sitting at the bar; Natalie lays down a couple of beers "You boys did a hell of a job. Your Dad'd be proud." "Thanks." Andrew says smiling, Jacob sits down on the other side of Averie, and gives Andrew a look. "Oh yeah, um, I've gotta... uh, uh, I've gotta go. Over there. Right now." Andrew says leaving, Jacob smiles "So." he clears his throat "So?" she asks turning to him. "Am I gonna see you again?" "Do you want to?" "I wouldn't hate it." "Hmm. Can I be honest with you? See, normally I'd be hitting on you so fast it'd make your head spin. But, uh, these days... I don't know." "Wrong place, wrong time?" he asks motioning to Natalie, who's only a few feet away, "Yeah." "It's okay, I get it." 

The back door opens and James enters, carrying the folder and a bizarre looking laptop. "Where you guys been? Been waitin' for ya." "We were working a job, James. Clowns?" "Clowns? What the hell?" Averie looks over "You got something for us?" He sets the laptop down on a table. It looks homemade, with exposed wiring "Did you find the demon?" Andrew asks walking over, "It's nowhere around. At least, nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises his head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like Divine on dog dookie." "What do you mean?" "I mean, any of those signs or omens appear, anywhere in the world, my rig'll go off. Like a fire alarm."

Averie reaches for the laptop "Do you mind..." James glares at her, she pulls her hand away from the keyboard "Yeah.." "What's up, man?" he asks noticing Andrew looking at the computer confused. "Where did you learn to do all this?" "M.I.T. Before I got bounced for... fighting." "M.I.T?" he asks shocked "It's a school in Boston." Averie sighs "Okay. Give us a call as soon as you know something?" "Si, si, compadre." she takes another sip of her beer, sits it down and gets up as James drinks the rest. Her and Andrew head for the door, Natalie stops them "Hey, listen -- if you two need a place to stay I've got a couple beds out back." "Thanks, but no. There's something I gotta finish." Averie says, "Okay."

~JUNKYARD~

Averie is working on the car again, Andrew pacing nearby. "You were right." he says, "About what?" "About me and Dad. I'm sorry that the last time I was with him I tried to pick a fight. I'm sorry that I spent most of my life angry at him. I mean, for all I know he died thinking that I hate him. So you're right. What I'm doing right now, it's too little. It's too late." his lip starts trembling, "I miss him. And I feel guilty as hell. And I'm not alright. Not at all. But neither are you. That much I know." he sighs, Averie frowns and continues working on the Impala. "I'll let you get back to work." he says walking away. 

Averie is still for a moment. She picks up a crowbar and smashes the window of a the car. Then she starts slamming it into the trunk, over and over. The crowbar clatters to the ground, and she looks over where Andrew was, starting to cry. She sits on the ground next to the car and cries, "Damn it!" she screams out.


	3. Bloodlust

~FOREST. RED LODGE, MONTANA. NIGHT~

A young woman is running through a dark forest. She trips and falls, she stops behind a tree and her pursuer runs past. Relaxing, thinking she's safe, she steps out. A large hook comes out of nowhere and slices her head off.

~ROAD. SIOUX FALLS, NORTH DAKOTA. DAY~

The Impala speeds down the street, driven by Averie. She's in good mood, grooving along to the music. "Whoo! Listen to her purr! Have you ever heard anything so sweet?" Andrew smiles at his sister "You know, if you two wanna get a room, just let me know." "Oh, don't listen to him, baby. He doesn't understand us." he laughs "You're in a good mood." "Why shouldn't I be?" she asks turning to him. "No reason." "Got my car, got a case, things are looking up." "Wow. Give you a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows and you're _Misses_ _Sunshine_." Averie smiles "How far to Red Lodge?" "Uh, about another three hundred miles." "Good." she floors it.

~SHERIFF'S OFFICE.~

A sheriff sits talking to Andrew and Averie, who are posing as reporters, "The murder investigation is ongoing, and that's all I can share with the press at this time." Andrew nods "Sure, sure, we understand that, but just for the record, you found the first, uh, head last week, correct?" "Mm-hmm." "Okay, and the other, a uh, Christina Flanigan," "That was two days ago. Is there --" a woman knocks on the door and points at her watch. The sheriff looks at them "Oh. Sorry, time's up, we're done here." Andrew looks at him "One last question --"

Averie cuts him off "Yeah, what about the cattle?" "Excuse me?" "You know, the cows found dead, split open, drained ... over a dozen cases." "What about them?" Andrew sighs "So you don't think there's a connection?" "Connection ... with...?" "First cattle mutilations, now two murders? Kinda sounds like ritual stuff." Averie looks at Andrew then the sheriff "You know, like satanic cult ritual stuff?" "You - you're not kidding." he says laughing, "No." "Those cows aren't being mutilated. You wanna know how I know?"

"How?" Andrew asks, "Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilation. Cow drops, leave it in the sun, within forty eight hours the bloat'll split it open so clean it's just about surgical. The bodily fluids fall down into the ground and get soaked up because that's what gravity does. But, hey, it could be Satan. What newspaper did you say you work for?" Averie thinks for a second "World Weekly News..." Andrew shakes his head "Weekly World News." "World-" "Weekly World-" She sighs "Weekly...I'm sorry, I'm new." The sheriff shakes his head "Get out of my office."

~HOSPITAL~

Averie and Andrew walk into the morgue wearing lab coats over their shirts and ties. The intern on duty has a name tag that reads "J. Manners." Averie looks at it, thinking. "John-" "Jeff." he says, "Jeff. I know that. Dr. Dworkin needs to see you in his office right away." "But Dr. Dworkin's on vacation." "Well, he's back. And he's pissed, and he's screaming for you, man, so if I were you I would..." she whistles, he rushes out of the room. She looks at Andrew as they walk "Hey, those satanists in Florida, they marked their victims, didn't they?" "Yeah, reversed pentacle on the forehead." "Yeah. So much fucked up crap happens in Florida." 

Averie hands Andrew a pair of latex gloves and puts on a pair of her own; he opens a compartment and wheels out a corpse; there's a box between its legs. "All right, open it." she says, "You open it." "Wuss." she carries the box over to another table and flips off the lid, grimacing. Andrew approaches, cringing. "Well, no pentagram." she says, he frowns "Poor girl." "Maybe we should, uh, you know, look in her mouth, see if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kinda like the moth in Silence of the Lambs." she slides the box over to him. "Yeah, here, go ahead." "No, you go ahead." "What?" "Put the lotion in the basket." 

"Right, yeah, I'm the wuss, huh? Whatever." Andrew pokes his fingers into her mouth, "Av, get me a bucket." Averie moves to grab him a bucket "You find something?" "No, I'm going to puke." she notices something. "Wait, lift the lip up again?" he groans "What? You want me to throw up, is that it?" "No, no, no, I think I saw something." he pulls the lip up again, she looks closer "Is that a hole?" she pushes on it and a sharp tooth descends. Andrew looks at it "It's a tooth." "Andrew, that's a fang. Retractable set of vampire fangs. You gotta be kidding me." "Well, this changes things." "Ya think?" 

~BAR. NIGHT~

Averie and Andrew walk up to the bar; a woman, Luna, sits at a table and watches them. "How's it going?" Averie asks, The bartender smiles at her "Living the dream. What can I get for you?" "Two beers, please." Andrew looks at the bartender "So, we're looking for some people." "Sure. Hard to be lonely." "Yeah. But um, that's not what I meant." He pulls out a $50 bill, fingering it, and drops it on the bar; bartender looks at it, then takes it. "Right. So these, these people, they would have moved here about six months ago, probably pretty rowdy, like to drink..." he says, "Yeah, real night owls, you know? Sleep all day, party all night." Averie says.

"Barker farm got leased out a couple months ago. Real winners. They've been in here a lot - drinkers. Noisy. I've had to 86 them once or twice." the bartender says, "Thanks." They leave their half-finished beers on the table and leave. Luna , the woman who was watching them is gone, a smoldering cigarette left behind. As they leave, she watches, then stalks them. They go down an alley, she follows. Luna loses sight of them, and turns. Averie and Andrew are suddenly there, pinning him to the wall, Averie holds a knife at her throat.

"Smile." Averie says, "What?" "Show us those pearly whites." Luna sighs "Oh, for the love of -- you want to stick that thing someplace else? I'm not a vampire." Andrew looks at her confused, "Yeah, that's right. I heard you guys in there." "What do you know about vampires?" he asks. "How to kill them. Now seriously. That knife's making me itch." Averie tilts her head, Luna starts to pull away, Andrew pins her harder. "Whoa. Easy there, Chachi." she says, she brings her right hand to her lip, pulls it back, revealing normal gums. Averie and Andrew ease up "Now, who are you?" Averie asks.

~PARKING LOT~

At Luna's car, she pulls out an arsenal, which includes a large hook. "Andrew and Averie Walker. I can't believe it. You know I met your old man once? Hell of a guy. Great hunter. I heard he passed. I'm sorry. It's big shoes. But from what I hear you guys fill 'em. Great trackers, good in a tight spot --" Averie looks at her "You seem to know a lot about our family." "Word travels fast. You know how hunters talk." "No, we don't, actually." "I guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?" Andrew clears his throat "So, um, so those two vampires, they were yours, _huh_?" "Yep. Been here two weeks."

Averie nods "Did you check out that Barker farm?" Luna sighs "It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone." "Where's the nest, then?" "I got this one covered. Look, don't get me wrong. It's a real pleasure meetin' you fellas. But I've been on this thing over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it." "We could help." "Thanks, but uh, I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of girl." Averie groans "Come on, man, I"ve been itching for a hunt." Luna smiles "Sorry. But hey, I hear there's a Chupacabra two states over. You go ahead and knock yourselves out." She gets in her car "It was real good meeting you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side." she says driving off.

~MILL~

A man is sitting in the quiet mill, alone. He hears a noise, starts investigating. He goes up to the roof, pulls out a crowbar. A crow flies at his head, startling him. He relaxes, then turns around to find Luna attacking him with a machete. The man extends his fangs, they struggle near an electric saw; the vampire turns it on, pinning her down below it, nearly decapitating her until Andrew pulls her to safety; Averie attacks the vampire, getting him pinned under the electric saw. She lowers the saw, decapitating him, she is sprayed with blood. "So uh, I guess I gotta buy you that drink." Luna says chuckling. Andrew just stares at Averie, shocked.

~BAR~

Luna, Averie, and Andrew are sitting around a table in the bar. A waitress brings them another round, Averie reaches for her wallet. Luna notices and stops her "No, no, I got it." "Come on, let me." "I insist." she looks at the waitress "Thank you, sweetie." Averie chuckles, Luna raises her shot glass "Another one bites the dust." "That's right." They drink a toast as Andrew sits back with his arms crossed. Luna laughs "Averie, You gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend." "Thank you." "That was beautiful. Absolutely _beautiful_." she chuckles and looks over at Andrew "Yep. You all right, Andy?"

He sighs "I'm fine." Luna looks at him "Well, lighten up a little, Andy." he glares at her "She's the only one who gets to call me that." "Okay. No offense meant. Just celebrating a little. Job well done." "Right. Well, decapitations aren't my idea of a good time, I guess." "Oh, come one, man, it's not like it was human. You've gotta have a little more fun with your job." Averie nods "See? That's what I've been trying to tell him." she turns to him "You could learn a thing or two from her." "Yeah I bet I could. Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel." he says getting up. "You sure?" "Yeah." "Andy? Remind me to beat that buzzkill out of you later, all right?" she says laughing, tossing him the keys. Luna watches him leave, then turns back to Averie "Something I said?" "Nah, nah, he just gets that way sometimes. Tell you what. Match you quarters for the next round."

-

Averie's rambling on about some hunt "So. I pick up this crossbow. And I hit that ugly sucker with a silver-tipped arrow right in his heart. Andy's waiting in the car, and uh, me and my dad take the thing into the woods, burn it to a crisp. I'm sitting there and looking into the fire, and I'm thinking to myself, I'm sixteen years old. Most kids my age are worried about pimples, prom dates. I'm seeing things that they'll never even know. Never even dream of. So right then, I just sort of -" "Embraced the life?" "Yep." "Yeah.." "How'd you get started?" Luna sighs "First time I saw a vampire I was barely eighteen. Home alone with my sister. I hear the window break in her room. I grab my dad's gun, run in, try to get it off her. Too late. So I shoot the damn thing. Which of course is about as useful as snapping it with a rubber band. It rushes me, picks me up, flings me across the room, knocks me out cold. When I wake up, the vampire's gone, my sister's gone."

"And then?" Averie asks taking another shot, "Then... try explaining that one to your family. So I left home. And then bummed around looking for information: how you track 'em, how you kill 'em. And I found that fang - it was my first kill." "Sorry about your sister." "Yeah. She was beautiful. I can still see her, you know? The way she was. But hey, that was a long time ago. I mean, your dad. It's gotta be rough." "Yeah. Yeah, you know. He was just one of those guys. Took some terrible beatings, just kept coming. So you're always thinking to yourself, he's indestructible. He'll always be around, nothing can kill my dad. Then just like that he's gone. I can't talk about this to Andrew. You know, I gotta keep my game face on. But, uh, the truth is I'm not handling it very well. Feel like I have this."

Luna looks at her frowning "Hole inside you? And it just gets bigger and bigger and darker and darker? Good. You can use it. Keeps you hungry. Trust me. There's plenty out there needs killing, and this'll help you do it. Averie, it's not a crime to need your job."

~MOTEL ROOM~

Andrew sits on the bed, he has his phone up to his ear "Hey, Natalie, It's Andrew." " _Andrew, it's good to hear from you. You two are okay, aren't you?_ " "Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. Got a question." " _What?_ " "You ever run across a girl named Luna Young?" " _Yeah_ , _I know Luna_." He sighs "And?" " _Well, she's a real good hunter. Why are you asking, sweetie_?" "Well, we ran into her on a job and we're kinda working with her, I guess." He could hear the concern in Natalie's voice " _Don't to that, Andrew_." "I - I thought you said she was a good hunter." Andrew says confused. " _Yeah, and Hannibal Lecter's a good psychiatrist. Look, she is dangerous to everyone and everything around her. If she's working on a job you two just let her handle it and you move on_." "Natalie-" " _No, Andrew? You -- just listen to what I'm telling you, okay_?" "O-Okay?"

~BAR~

"Know why I love this life?" Luna asks, Averie tilts her head "Hmm?" "It's all black and white. There's no maybe. You find the bad thing, kill it. See, most people spend their lives in shades of gray. Is this right? Is that wrong? Not us." "Not sure Andrew would agree with you, but uh..." "Doesn't seem like your brother's much like us." she stares at Luna startled "I'm not saying he's wrong. Just different. But you and me? We were born to do this. It's in our blood." Averie nods.

~MOTEL PARKING LOT~

Andrew buys a soda from a vending machine and starts walking back to the room. He pauses as if hearing something, cautiously opens the door, looking around. He gets inside and leans against the door, relieved. Suddenly a dark figure jumps him from behind. He knocks his first attacker down, then the second; the first attacker rises up behind him and slams a heavy telephone into the back of his head, knocking him out.

~FARMHOUSE~

Andrew is bound to a chair and gagged, a sack over his head; it's pulled off by the bartender from earlier. He shows a lot of fangs and advances on Andrew, who struggles, as the vampire advances on him another vampire, Lenore, appears in the doorway "Wait! Step back, Eli." Eli pulls back, his fangs retracting. Lenore walks over and pulls off Andrew's gag, "My name's Lenore. I'm not going to hurt you. We just need to talk." "Talk? Yeah, okay, but I might have a tough time paying attention to much besides Eli's teeth." "He won't hurt you either. You have my word." Andrew chuckles, "Your word? Oh yeah, great, thanks. Listen lady, no offense but you're not the first vampire I've met."

She sighs "We're not like the others. We don't kill humans, and we don't drink their blood. We haven't for a long time." "What is this, some kind of joke?" "Notice you're still alive." "Okay, uh, correct me if I'm wrong here, but shouldn't you be starving to death?" "We've found other ways. _Cattle_ _blood_." she cringes as she says 'Cattle blood' He looks at her confused "You're telling me you're responsible for all the --" "It's not ideal, in fact it's disgusting. But -- it allows us to get by." "Okay, uh, why?"

Lenore frowns "Survival. No deaths, no missing locals, no reason for people like you to come looking for people like us. We blend in. Our kind is practically extinct. Turns out we weren't quite as high up the food chain as we imagined." Eli glares at Andrew "Why are we explaining ourselves to this _killer_?" "Eli!" "We choke on cow's blood so that none of them suffer. Tonight they murdered Conrad and they celebrated." "Eli, that's enough!" Andrew looks at Eli and says "Yeah, Eli, that's enough." Lenore bites her tongue "What's done is done. We're leaving this town tonight." "Then why did you bring me here? Why are you even talking to me?" "Believe me, I'd rather not. But I know your kind. Once you have the scent you'll keep tracking us. It doesn't matter where we go. Hunters will find us." 

Andrew looks at her "So you're asking us not to follow you?" "We have a right to live. We're not hurting anyone." "Right, so you keep saying, but give me one good reason why I should believe you." "Fine." she says getting in his face. "You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to let you go." he looks startled, "Take him back. Not a mark on him." she says looking at Eli and another Vampire. They lead Andrew back to the truck, his head covered in the sack again.

~MOTEL~

Averie and Luna sit at the table, discussing strategy over a map. "This is the best pattern I can establish. It's sketchy at best." Luna says, "Looks like it's all coming from this side of town. Which means the nest would be around here someplace, right?" "Yep, that's what I'm thinking. Problem is, there's thirty-five, forty farms out there. I've searched about half of them already, but nothing yet. They're covering their tracks real good." "Well, I guess we'll just have to search the other half." she looks down at her watch, "What time is it? Where is Andrew?" Luna shrugs "Car's parked outside. Probably went for a walk. Seems like the take-a-walk type." "Yeah, he is, but..." The door opens and Andrew enters, he gives Averie a look.

"Where you been?" she asks worried, "Can I talk to you alone?" she nods and turns to Luna "You mind chillin' out for a couple minutes?" Luna shakes her head. They walk out into the parking lot, "Averie, maybe we've got to rethink this hunt." "What are you talking about? Where were you?" "In the nest." "You found it?" "They found me." "How'd you get out? How many you kill?" "None." she chuckles, "Well, they didn't just let you go." "That's exactly what they did." "All right, well, where is it?" "I was blindfolded, I don't know." She gives him a look "Well, you've got to know something." "We went over that bridge outside of town, but Av, listen. Maybe we shouldn't go after them." "Why not?" 

"I don't think they're like other vampires. I don't think they're killing people." he says, she shakes her head "You're joking. Then how do they stay alive? Or undead, or whatever the hell they are." "The cattle mutilations. They said they live off of animal blood." "And you believed them?" "Look at me. They let me go without a scratch." "Wait, so you're saying... No, man, no way. I don't know why they let you go. I don't really care. We find 'em, we waste 'em." "Why?" Averie scoffs "What part of 'vampires' don't you understand, Andrew? If it's supernatural, we kill it, end of story. That's our job." "No, that is not our job. Our job is hunting evil. And if these things aren't killing people, they're not evil!" "Of course they're killing people, that's what they do. They're all the same. They're not human, okay? We have to exterminate every last one of them."

"No, Av, I don't think so, all right? Not this time." Andrew says frowning, "Luna's been on those vamps for a year, she knows." "Luna?" "Yes." "You're taking her word for it?" "That's right." "Natalie says she's bad news." "You called Natalie?" He nods "And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her, Andrew no thanks, I'll go with Luna." "Right, 'cause Luna's such an old friend. You don't think I can see what this is?" "What are you talking about?" "She's a substitute for Dad, isn't she? A poor one." "Shut up." "She's not close, not even on her best day." "You know what? I'm not even going to talk about this."

Andrew looks at her sadly, "You know, you slap on this big fake smile but I can see right through it. Because I know how you feel, Averie. Dad's dead. And he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you can't just fill up that hole with whoever you want to. It's an insult to his memory." "Okay.." she starts to turn away, then punches Andrew, hard enough for blood to drip from his nose. He pauses, turning back slowly, but not rising to the bait "You hit me all you want. It won't change anything." she glares at him, raising her hand, then drops it "I'm going to that nest. You don't want to tell me where it is, fine. I'll find it myself."

-

Averie walks into the room, Andrew follows; Luna is missing "Luna?" "You think she went after them?" "Probably." "Av, we gotta stop her." "Really, cause I say we lend a hand." "Just give me the benefit of the doubt, would you? You owe me that." "Yeah, we'll see. I'll drive. Give me the keys." he motions to the keyring where he hung them; they're gone. "She snaked the keys."

~IMPALA~

Averie hotwires her car, grimacing. "I can't believe this. I just fixed her up, too." Andrew gets in the car, "So the bridge, is that, uh, is that all you got?" she asks looking up. "The bridge was four and a half minutes from their farm." She gets in "How do you know?" "I counted." he starts tracing a path on the map. "They took a left out of the farm, then turned right onto a dirt road, followed that for two minutes slightly up a hill, then took another quick right and we hit the bridge." "You're good. You're a monster pain in the ass, but you're good."

~FARMHOUSE~

Lenore is packing things into boxes; Eli comes in and sets a box on the table. "In the truck, thank you." she says, "We can't leave like this. Lenore. Listen to me, we need to stay and fight." "They were my friends too, Eli, my family." "That's not what I'm talking about. This is self-defense. Kill or be killed. They can't hunt us if they're dead." "Killing those three wouldn't solve anything. There's more where they came from. We're outnumbered. This. This is all we can do. Try and reason --" "You can't reason with these people. They're going to kill us all anyway. We should at least take a few of them with us." 

-

Luna's red car crosses the bridge and turns up a small road. Some ways behind, Andrew and Averie are in the Impala. Andrew sighs, staring at the map. Averie glances at him, then looks back to the road. He frowns.

-

Lenore comes out of the house with a box, sets it on the flatbed of a truck. She turns and Luna is there. She grabs her, raises a knife that glistens with blood. She stabs it into her chest; she goes limp "Dead man's blood, Bitch." 

Luna dips the knife into a jar of blood. Lenore is tied to a chair nearby, covered in cuts, pale and sickly. She circles around her, slices the bloody knife across her chest, Lenore groans. Andrew and Averie run in, "Averie, Andrew, come help." Luna says smiling, "Hey, Luna. What's going on?" Averie asks. "Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood. She's going to tell us where all her little friends are, aren't you? Wanna help?" "Look, man-" Luna drags the knife across Lenore's arm; veins trace away from the cut. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, let's all just chill out, huh?" "I'm completely chill."

Andrew looks at her "Luna, put the knife." he steps towards her, Averie stops him with a hand on his chest. She laughs "Sounds like it's Andrew here needs to chill." "Just step away from her, all right?" he says, "You're right. I'm wasting my time here. This bitch will never talk. Might as well put her out of her misery." she pulls out a sharpened hook "I just sharpened it, so it's completely humane." She steps towards Lenore, Andrew steps in between them "Luna, I'm letting her go.." 

Luna points the knife at his chest, stopping him. "You're not doing a damn thing." Averie looks at her "Hey, hey, hey, let's talk about this." "What's there to talk about? It's like I said. No shades of gray." "Yeah. I hear ya. And I know how you feel." "Do you?" "That vampire that killed your sister deserved to die, but this one..." Luna laughs "Killed my sister? That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. It turned her. It made her one of them. So I hunted her down, and I killed her myself." "You did what?" "It wasn't my sister anymore, it wasn't human. I didn't blink. And neither would you."

Andrew looks at Luna, "So you knew all along, then? You knew about the vampires, you knew they weren't killing anyone. You knew about the cattle. And you just didn't care." "Care about what? A nest of vampires suddenly acting nice? Taking a little time out from sucking innocent people? And we're supposed to buy that? Trust me. Doesn't change what they are. And I can prove it." She grabs his arm, slices the knife across it, then lays the knife against his throat, dragging him towards Lenore. Averie pulls her gun, "Let him go. Now!" "Relax. If I wanted to kill him he'd already be on the floor. Just making a little point." 

Luna holds the cut on Andrew's arm over Lenore, so the blood drips on her face. She hisses, fangs extending "Hey!" Averie yells, "You think she's so different? Still want to save her? Look at her. They're all the same. Evil, bloodthirsty." Lenore controls herself, retracting her fangs, and turns her face away. "No, no." she mutters, "You hear her?" Andrew asks, "No!" Lenore cries out.

Andrew pushes the knife away from his throat, and pushes Luna away. "We're done here." Averie looks at him "Get her out of here." He picks her up; Luna takes a step towards him, but Averie still has the gun trained on her. "Luna, I think you and I've got some things to talk about." "Get out of my way." she steps forward, Averie stops her "Sorry." "You're not serious." "I'm having a hard time believing it too, but I know what I saw. If you want those vampires, you gotta go through me." Luna nods, considering. She looks at her knife, then jams it into the table. 

"Fine." Averie looks at the knife, looks at her gun. She pulls the clip out of the gun and sets it aside. Luna punches her; they start fighting. She grabs the knife again; Averie groans. They are fairly well matched "What are you doing? You doing this for a fang? Come on, Averie, we're on the same side here." "I don't think so, you sadistic bastard." She throws Averie across the room "You're not like your brother. You're a killer. Like me." Averie kicks Luna down, hauls her up against the wall, and elbows her in the face, knocking her out. Pinning Luna under her elbow, she slams her head into another wall. She sits Luna in a chair and ties her up "You know, I might be like you, and I might not. But you're the one tied up right now."

-MORNING-

Andrew returns to find Luna tied to the chair, Averie pacing. Luna and Averie watch each other, "Did I miss anything?" he asks "Nah, not much. Lenore get out okay?" "Yeah. All of 'em did." "Then I guess our work here is done. How you doin', Lu? Gotta tinkle yet?" she chuckles, Luna just glares at her "All right. Well, get comfy. We'll call someone in two or three days, have them come out, untie you." She jams Luna's knife into the table, "Ready to go, Av?" "Not yet." she walks over to Luna. "I guess this is goodbye. Well, it's been real-" She hits Luna, knocking her and her chair to the floor. Andrew clears his throat "Okay. I'm good now. We can go."

~OUTSIDE~

As they exit the farmhouse, both wince at their recent injuries - Andrew's left arm is wrapped in a bandage. Averie stops, setting herself on her feet like a boxer "Andrew? Clock me one." "What?" "Come on. I won't even hit you back. Let's go." "No." "Let's go, you get a freebie. Hit me, come on." he chuckles "You look like you just went twelve rounds with a block of cement, Av. I'll take a raincheck." He walks away, she follows "I wish we never took this job. It's jacked everything up." "What do you mean?" "Think about all the hunts we went on, Andy, our whole lives." "Okay?" "What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing? You know? I mean, the way Dad raised us..."

Andrew sighs "Averie, after what happened to Mom, Dad did the best he could." "I know he did. But the man wasn't perfect. And the way he raised us, to hate those things; and man, I hate 'em. I do. When I killed that vampire at the mill I didn't even think about it; hell, I even enjoyed it." "You didn't kill Lenore." "No, but every instinct told me to. I was gonna kill her. I was gonna kill 'em all." "Yeah, but you didn't. And that's what matters." Averie nods, then smiles "Yeah. Well, 'cause you're a pain in my ass." "Guess I might have to stick around to be a pain in the ass, then." "Thanks." "Don't mention it." Andrew gets in the passenger's side; Averie stares off into the distance for a moment before climbing in and driving away.


	4. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

~HOUSE. GREENVILLE, ILLINOIS. NIGHT~

Neil and Angela sit together "Okay. We've got booze, we've got chocolate, and, wait for it... tortured emo rock. Guaranteed cure for any broken heart." he says smiling, "You didn't have to do all this. I'm fine." "Yeah, I can see that." She takes his hands in hers, "Thanks, Neil." "Yeah." There is a loud pounding at the door, they both look "It's probably him." she whispers "I'll take care of it."

He goes to the front door, opens it. Matt is standing there, "Where is she?" "Let's just chill out and think about this for a second, okay?" "I need to talk to her." "Some other time." "Get out of my way, Neil." Matt shoves Neil and enters; he shuts the door behind him. They both go into the kitchen to find Angela gone.

~HIGHWAY~

Angela is driving down a dark road, crying. Her cell phone rings, and the display reads " _Matt Cell Phone Calling_ ". She picks up "Leave. Me. Alone." " _Angela, I'm sorry_." "You're sorry?" she laughs "You're sorry, oh, that's great." " _Listen to me._ " "I don't want to listen to you! I'm done listening!" " _Listen to me!_ " "No - I... I love you.." Crying and looking down, she doesn't see a turn in the road, and crashes into the barrier. " _Angela? Angela?_ "

~ROAD. DAY~

The Impala zooms down a two-lane blacktop. Averie is driving, Andrew in the passenger's seat. "Come on, Andrew, I'm begging you. This is stupid." "Why?" she looks at him "Going to visit Mom's grave? She doesn't even have a grave -- there, there was no body left after the fire." "She has a headstone." "Yeah, put up by her uncle, a man we've never even met. So you wanna, go pay your respects to a slab of granite put up by a stranger? Come on." "Av, that's not the point.." he says sadly. "Well then, enlighten me." "It's not about a body, or, or, a casket. It's about her memory, okay?" 

Averie shakes her head looking out the window, Andrew sighs "And after Dad it just... just feels like the right thing to do." "It's irrational, is what it is." "Look, no one asked you to come." "Why don't we swing by the roadhouse instead? I mean, we haven't heard anything on the demon lately. We should be hunting that son of a bitch down." "That's a good idea, you should. Just drop me off, I'll hitch a ride, and I'll meet you there tomorrow." she chuckles "Stuck ... stuck with those people, making awkward small talk until you show up? No thanks."

~GRAVEYARD~

Andrew kneels before a headstone, digging in the ground with a folding knife. The headstone reads: Madison Walker, 1954-1983, In Loving Memory. He pulls a set of dog tags out of his pocket "I think, um .... I think Dad would have wanted you to have these." he drops them in the hole and covers them, tearing up. "I love you, Mom." Nearby, Averie is standing by another gravestone, marked as "Loving Father", looking pensive. She sees a dying tree, and stops, frowning. She walks over to it, knocks on the trunk, consideringly, then notices a perfect circle of dead grass surrounding a gravestone. She crouches down, fingering dead flowers, she gets up and walks over to Andrew.

"Angela Mason. She was a student at the local college; funeral was three days ago." Averie says as they walk back to the Impala, "And?" "And? You saw her grave. Everything dead around it, in a perfect circle? You don't think that's a little weird?" "Maybe the groundskeeper went a little agro with the pesticide." "No, I asked him, I asked him. No pesticide, no chemicals. Nobody can explain it." "Okay, so what are you thinking?" She shrugs "I dunno. Unholy ground, maybe?" "Un-" he stops himself, "What? If something evil happened there, it could easily poison the ground. Remember the, the farm outside of Cedar Rapids?" "Yeah, bu-" "Could be the sign of a demonic presence. Or the, the Angela girl's spirit, if it's powerful enough." Andrew nods, turning away.

"Well, don't get too excited, you might pull something." Averie says annoyed, "It's just... stumbling onto a hunt? Here, of all places?" he says frowning. "So?" "So -- are you sure this is about a hunt, and not about something else?" "What else would it be about?" Andrew sighs heavily, shakes his head, and moves to get in the car "You know, just forget about it." "You believe what you want, Andrew, but -- I let you drag my ass out here, the least we could do is check this out." "Yeah, fine." "Girl's dad works in town. He's a professor at the school."

~SCHOOL BUILDING~

Averie and Andrew knock on the door of Dr. Mason's office. "Dr. Mason?" Averie asks, they move to stand in the doorway "Yes?" he asks turning to them. Andrew steps forward "I'm Andrew. This is Averie. We were friends of Angela's. We ... we wanted to offer our condolences." "Please, come in." They enter; he closes the door behind them. Sitting down, he shows them a photo album. In the corner, Averie is looking through an old book. Andrew looks at the photo album with Dr. Mason "She was beautiful." "Yes, she was." Averie looks at the bookshelf "This is an unusual book." She shows the cover of the book she's been paging through; it has carvings of Greek letters and a triangular symbol.

Dr. Mason nods "It's ancient Greek; I teach a course." she looks at him "So a car accident, that's, that's horrible." "Angie was only a mile away from home when, uh ..." "It's gotta be hard. Losing someone like that. Sometimes it's like they're s-- still around. Almost like you can still sense their presence." Andrew turns to look at her, "You ever feel anything like that?" "I do as a matter of fact." Andrew continues looking at Averie "That's perfectly normal, Dr. Mason. Especially with what you're going through." "You know, I still phone her. And the phone's ringing before I remember that, uh .... Family's everything, you know? Angie was the most important thing in my life. And now I, I, I'm just lost without her." "We're very sorry." 

~MOTEL ROOM. NIGHT~

Averie sits on the bed, Andrew sits at the table "I'm telling you, there's something going on here. We just haven't found it yet." "Averie, so far you've got a patch of dead grass and nothing." "Well, something turned that grave into unholy ground!" she says getting up started to pace. Andrew sighs "There's no reason for it to be unholy ground. Angela Mason was a nice girl who died in a car crash. That's not exactly vengeful spirit material. You heard her father." "Yeah, well, maybe Daddy doesn't know everything there is to know about his little angel, huh?" 

"You know what? We never should have bothered that poor man. We shouldn't even be here anymore." she looks at him upset "So what, Andrew? What, we just bail? Without even figuring out what's going on?" "I think I know what's going on here. It's the only reason I went along with you this far." "What are you talking about?" "This is about Mom's grave." Averie scoffs "That's got nothing to do with it." "You wouldn't step within a hundred yards of it. Look. Maybe you're imagining a hunt where there isn't one so you don't have to think about Mom. Or Dad." she turns to face him, making a fist. He looks at her "You wanna take another swing? Go ahead, if it'll make you feel better."

She shakes her head "I don't need this crap." she grabs her jacket and keys. "Av, where're you going?" "I'm going to go get a drink. Alone." he gets up and grabs her arm "Let go of me you ass!" he tightens his grip and turns her to look at him "You need to calm down, just sit, talk." She glares at him and kicks him, he lets go, she leaves slamming the door shut.

~MATT'S HOUSE.~

Matt is sitting alone in his living room, watching home movies of him and Angela. He gets up to get a beer. A small plant on the side table withers. He sits back down again, without noticing the plant. He pauses the tape; freezes it on Angela's face; then he sees her reflection in the screen and turns around, startled. He screams, and blood splashes the screen.

~ANGELA'S APARTMENT. DAY~

Averie enters the apartment, she looks around, picks up a framed picture. She sees a figure in a reflection just before she sees her - it's the roommate, Lindsey. "Who the hell are you?" Lindsey yells as she turns and shuts herself in the bathroom. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on!" "I'm calling 9-1-1!" "I'm Angela's cousin!" "What?" "Yeah, her dad sent me over to, uh, pick up her stuff, my name's Misa? Misa Stanwick?" Lindsey opens the door "Her dad didn't say that you were coming." "Well, I mean," she holds up a set of keys "How else would I have the key to your place?" 

-

Averie hands Lindsey a kleenex. She's crying, and Averie looks slightly uncomfortable. "So. I'm sure you got a, a view of Angela that none of the family got to see. Tell me, what, what was she like? I mean, what was she really like?" "She was great." "Hmmm." "Just great. I mean, she was so... so..." "Great?" "Yeah, Yeah." Lindsey starts crying again. She hands her another tissue "Here you go. You two must have been really close, huh?" "We were. But it's not just her, it's Matt." "Who?" "Angela's boyfriend." she nods "Right, Matt. What about him?" Lindsey frowns. "He killed himself last night. He cut his own throat. Who does that?"

"That's -- terrible." Averie says, "He was taking Angela's death pretty hard, and I guess... I mean, he'd been messed up about it for days." "Messed up how?" "He kept saying that he saw her everywhere." "Well, I'm, I'm sure that that's normal, I mean with everything that he was going through." "No, he said that he SAW her. As in, an acid trip or something." "Were Angela and Matt a happy couple? I mean, is there any reason that Angela would be angry with him?" "What? No, of course not, why do you ask?" "Just asking. Where did Matt live?"

~MOTEL ROOM~

Andrew is sitting on the edge of the bed, watching television " _Next, on the Skin channel, Casa Erotica Four. A tale of two Latin beauties ..._ " Averie opens the door, and Andrew looks over, startled. He shuts off the TV and tosses down the remote "Hey." she enters, glancing at him and the TV "What?" he asks "Awkward." "Where in the hell were you?" "Working my _imaginary_ case." Andrew sighs "Yeah? And?" Averie walks over and sits on the table "Well, you were right, I didn't find much." he nods, giving her a sympathetic look "Yeah. Except Angela's boyfriend died last night. Slit his own throat. But, you know, that's normal. Uh, let's see, what else. Oh, he was seeing Angela everywhere before he died. But you know, I'm sure that's just me transferring my own feelings."

He groans "Okay, I get it. I'm sorry, maybe there is something going on here." she looks at him "Maybe? Andrew, I know how to do my job, despite what you might think." "We should check out the guy's apartment." "I just came from there. Pile of dead plants, just like the cemetery. Hell, dead goldfish too." "So, unholy ground?" "Maybe. I'm still not getting that powerful angry spirit vibe from Angela." She gets up, crosses the room to pick up a pink book "I have been reading this, though." "You stole the girl's diary?" "Yeah. And if anything the girl's a little too nice." "So what do you want to do?" "Keep digging, talk to more of her friends." "You get any names?" "Are you kidding me? I have her bestest friend in the whole wide world" she says holding up the diary.

~NEIL'S HOUSE~

Neil, Andrew, and Averie sit in the living room. "I didn't realize the college employed grief counselors." Averie nods "Oh yeah. Yeah, you talk, we listen. Or maybe throw in a little therapeutic collage, whatever jump-starts the healing." "Well, I think I'm okay. Thanks." Andrew looks at him "Well, you heard what happened to Matt Harrison, right?" "Yeah, I did." "Well, we just wanted to make sure you were okay. Grief can make people do crazy things." "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to him. I am. But if Matt killed himself it wasn't 'cause of grief." 

Averie furrows her eyebrows "No? Then why?" "It was guilt. Angie's death was Matt's fault and he knew it." "How was Matt responsible?" "Well, she really loved that guy. But the night of the accident she walked in on him with another girl." "Oh." "She was really torn up, that's why she crashed the car. Um, look, I gotta get ready for work, so ... thanks for the concern, but... seriously, I'll be okay." Averie turns to look at Andrew as Neil leaves.

They walk away from the house. "Well, that vengeful spirit theory's starting to make a little more sense. I mean, hell hath no fury..." Averie says, "So if Angela got her revenge on Matt, you think it's over?" "Well, there's one way to be sure." They get in the Impala "Yeah, what's that?" he asks turning to her "Burn the bones." "Burn the bones? Are you high, Angela died last week!" "So?" "So, there's not gonna be bones. There's gonna be a ripe, rotting body in the coffin." "Since when are you afraid to get dirty? Huh? Bitch." "Jerk."

~GRAVEYARD. NIGHT~

Averie and Andrew dig at Angela's gravesite. They're panting and sweating with exertion. Standing on the coffin, Averie clears the rest of the dirt off and turns to Andrew "No, ladies first." she glares at him and hands him the flashlight "Hold that." She opens the coffin, wincing in preparation -- but the coffin is empty, they look at each other.

~NEIL'S HOUSE~

Neil goes down to the basement to find Angela waiting for him. She is pale, she turns and smiles at him "I missed you." She crosses the room and kisses him, he kisses her back.

~GRAVEYARD~

Averie and Andrew are still in the freshly dug grave, staring at Angela's empty coffin. "They buried the body four days ago." "I don't get it." In the light of the flashlight he sees something carved into the inside of the coffin. "Look." "What is that?" "I'm not sure.." She kneels and looks at it "I've seen these kind of symbols before." 

~DR.MASON'S OFFICE. DAY~

Averie pounds heavily on the door. She's very agitated, "Av, take it easy. Okay?" Dr. Mason opens the door "You're Angie's friends, right?" Andrew turns to him "Dr. Mas-" "We need to talk." Averie says upset. "Well, then, come in." he steps aside to let them in "Thanks." Andrew says, Averie whispers to him "Don't thank the bastard." She stands in front of his desk "You teach Ancient Greek. Tell me --" she unwraps drawings of the symbols from the coffin "What are these." she hands him the paper "I don't understand. You said this had something to do with Angela." "It does. Please, just humor me." "They're part of an ancient Greek divination ritual." "Used for necromancy, right?" "That's right."

Averie glares at him "See, before we came over here we stopped by the library and did a little homework ourselves. Apparently they used rituals like this one for communicating with the dead. Even bringing corpses back to life. Full-on zombie action." "Yes. I mean, according to the legends. Now, what's all this about?" Andrew watches Dr. Mason, having doubts, Averie continues. "I think you know." "Averie." he says getting up, "Look, I get it. Okay? There are people that I would give anything to see again. But what gives you the right?" "Averie!" he says grabbing her arm. "What are you talking about?" Dr. Mason asks, "What's dead should stay dead!" "What?!" Andrew whispers into her ear "Stop it." 

Averie glares at him "What you brought back isn't even your daughter anymore. These things are vicious, they're violent, they're so nasty they rot the ground around them. I mean, come on, haven't you seen Pet Sematary?" "You're insane." "Where is she?" "Get out of my house!" He starts dialing the phone; Averie knocks it out of his hand "I know you're hiding her somewhere. Where is she?!" "Averie! Stop, that's enough! Look." he motions to living plants as he grabs her jacket and pushes her out the door. "We're leaving." "I'm calling the police!" Averie pulls out of Andrew's grip and storms out the door.

~SIDEWALK~

Averie strides down the steps and along the sidewalk, Andrew following. "What the hell is the matter with you, Averie?" "Back off." "That man is innocent! He didn't deserve that!" she sighs "Okay, so she's not here, maybe he's keeping her somewhere else." "Stop it! That's enough, okay? Enough!" he steps in front of her. "Andrew, i know what I'm doing!" "No, you don't. At all. I don't scare easy, but man, you're scaring the crap out of me." "Don't be overdramatic." "You're lucky this turned out to be a real case. Because if it wasn't you would have just found something else to kill." She looks at him "Wha-" "You're on edge, you're erratic - except for when you're hunting, because then you're downright scary. You're tailspinning, man. And you refuse to talk about it and you won't let me help you."

She walks away from him "I can take care of myself, thanks." he tries stopping her again "No, you can't. And you know what? You're the only one who thinks you should have to. You don't have to handle this on your own, Av, no one can." "Andrew, if you bring up Dad's death one more time I swear..." "Stop. Please, it's killing you. Please. We've already lost Dad. We've lost Mom. I've lost Hannah. And now I'm going to lose you too?" She looks away "We better get out of here before the cops come." Andrew frowns at her, "I hear you. Okay? Yeah, I'm being an ass. And I'm sorry. But right now we've got a friggin' zombie running around, and we need to figure out how to kill it." he laughs "Our lives are weird." "You're tellin me, come on."

~NEIL'S HOUSE. NIGHT~

Angela is sitting on the couch, Neil is standing nearby. "Honey, what's wrong?" she asks turning to him, "It's about Matt." "Haven't we already talked about that?" "I know, but uh..." "Haven't we wasted enough time on him already? Come sit down." he walks over and sits next to her. "You always said that he didn't deserve me. You were right." "Angela, you didn't get out, and go see Matt, or..." "I've been here the whole time. Neil. You really think I could do something like that?" he sighs "No. I don't know. I can't help it, you just, you seem -" "Different? You're right. I am. I've realized you're the only one who ever really loved me. You proved that. You brought me back. I'm with you now. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

~MOTEL ROOM~

Averie is pacing, Andrew sitting on the bed with Ethan's journal. "We can't just waste it with a head shot?" she asks, "You've been watching way too many Romero flicks." "You're telling me there's no lore on how to smoke 'em?" She walks over and looks out the window, "No, Av, I'm telling you there's too much. I mean, there's a hundred different legends on the walking dead, but they all have different methods for killing them." he walks over to her "Some say -- setting them on fire, uh, one said, where is it? Right here. Feeding their hearts to wild dogs. That's my personal favorite. I mean, who knows what's real and what's myth?" She sighs "Is there anything they all have in common?"

"No. But a few said silver might work." "Silver's a start." he nods "But, how are we gonna find Angela?" "We've got to figure out the person who brought her back." "Any ideas?" "I think if it's not her dad it might be that guy Neil." "Neil?" "Yep." She crosses the room and grabs the diary "How'd you come up with that?" he asks, "Well, you've got your journal, I've got mine." she starts reading from it ""Neil's a real shoulder to cry on, he so understands what I'm going through with Matt." There's more in here where that came from. It's got unrequited Duckie love written all over it." "Yeah, but that doesn't mean he brought her back from the dead." "Hmm. Did I mention he's Professor Mason's TA? Has access to all the same books."

~NEIL'S HOUSE~

Averie and Andrew break in; the house is dark and quiet. "Hello? Neil?! It's your grief counselors -- we've come to talk." she says pulling out a gun, Andrew looks at it "Silver bullets?" "Yeah, enough to make her rattle like a change purse." They start stalking through the house, Averie in the lead with the gun out. They see wilted plants by a window, Averie find the entrance to the basement, she nods at it "Unless it's where he keeps his porn..." Andrew opens the door and she leads the way down the stairs to Angela's makeshift room, It is empty. "Sure looks like a zombie pen to me." Averie mutters, "Yeah. An empty one. You think Angela's going after somebody?"

Averie finds a loose grate and pulls it aside -- it leads out, somewhere. "Nah, I think she went out to rent Beaches." "Look, smartass, she might kill someone. We gotta find her, Av." "Yeah. All right. She, uh, she clipped Matt because he was cheating, right?" "Yeah?" "Well, it takes two to, you know, have hardcore sex." he shakes his head, "I don't know, it just seemed that, uh, Angela's roommate was broken up over Matt's death. I mean, like, really broken up."

~ANGELA'S APARTMENT~

Lindsey sits in the dim house looking at a framed picture of Matt and Angela. She hears a noise, gets up and goes to the front door. "Hello?" she opens the door, sees nothing. She turns, and Angela is there. She grabs her by the hair; Lindsey screams "Hi Lindsey, I'm home!" Lindsey breaks away from her, screaming. She runs into the kitchen; following, Angela picks up a pair of scissors from the counter. "You know what you did!" "I'm sorry. I am so, so --" "You're not sorry enough!" Angela stabs with the scissors; Lindsey ducks. Angela attacks again and Lindsey goes down to the floor. As Angela advances, she kicks out, knocking Angela forward onto the scissors. She goes still, Lindsey gets up, cautiously shoves Angela's body over. The scissors are sticking out of her chest.

"Oh God. Oh god. Oh my god. Oh my god, oh, oh --" Angela's eyes open; she grabs Lindsey by the hair and pulls the scissors out. As she pulls them both to standing, readying the scissors to stab her, several shots are fired and Angela convulses. Averie and Andrew run in; Averie fires the gun again, right in Angela's chest. She screams and bolts out the window; Averie follows. Andrew runs to Lindsey "Gotcha. I gotcha." Averie runs back over. "Damn, that dead chick can run." "What now?" "I say we go have a little chat with Neil."

~HIGHWAY~

Averie is driving the Impala, Andrew in the passenger's seat with the Journal open. "So the silver bullets, they did something, right?" he asks, "Yeah, something, but not enough. What else you got?" "Um, okay, besides silver, we have ... nailing the undead back into their grave beds. It's mentioned a few times. It's probably where the whole vampire staking lore came from." "Their grave beds? You serious?" "Yeah." she sighs "How the hell are we going to get Angela back to the cemetery?"

~NEIL'S OFFICE~

Neil is sitting in the dark, nervous. Averie and Andrew walk in "What are you guys doing here?" Averie glares at him "You know, I've heard of people doing some pretty desperate things to get laid, but you -- you take the cake." "Okay, who are you, really?" "You might want to ask Angela that question." "What?" Andrew looks at him "We know what you did. The ritual? Everything." he scoffs "You're crazy." "Your girlfriend's past her expiration date and we're crazy? When someone's gone they should stay gone. You don't mess with that kind of stuff." she says. "Angela killed Matt. She tried to kill Lindsey." Neil looks at Andrew "I don't know what you're talking about."

Averie stomps over to the other side of the desk and hauls Neil up by his collar. "Hey! No more crap, Neil. His blood is on your hands. Now. Me and him can make this right, but you've gotta tell us where she is. Tell us!" "My house, she's at my house!" she lets him go, then sees several potted plants by the window. They're dead, she looks at him "You sure about that?" Neil nods, looking around nervously. She looks past him to see a closet. Thinking, she seems to get an idea. She raises her voice slightly "Listen. It doesn't really matter where she is. There's only one way to stop her. We've got to perform another ritual over her grave, to reverse the one that you did. We're going to need some black root, some, some scar weed, some candles... It's very complicated, but it'll get the job done. She'll be dead again in a couple hours. I think you should come with us. I'm serious Neil, leave with us, now."

"No, no." he says, she lowers her voice "Listen to me. Get out of here as soon as you can. But most of all, be cool. No sudden movements. Don't make her mad." she turns to Andrew "Let's go." they leave. Swallowing hard, Neil goes to the closet and opens it, Angela is there. "You said you'd stay in the house." "Sorry. I just needed to see you. Neil, please. You have to help me." She lowers her arms to show the stab and bullet wounds. He cringes "Oh, god." "Come with me to the cemetery. Neil, they're trying to kill me. We have to stop them." "You mean kill them." she nods "It's true. Matt and Lindsey-" "They hurt me! If you love me you'll make sure nobody hurts me again. Take me to the cemetery. And then all this will be over. We can start new lives, together." "Okay. God help me, but okay. I'll go get the car. Just, just wait here."

~PARKING LOT~

At his car, Neil is panting . He drops the keys when he tries to open the car; as he stands, Angela is there. "Neil, you look nervous." "No, I'm, I'm fine." "Were you going to leave me?" "No, of course not." "You were, weren't you?! How could you? Neil, I loved you!" "Angela-" She grabs his head and wrenches it; with a crunch, his neck breaks and he falls to the ground, dead.

~GRAVEYARD~

Around Angela's grave, Averie and Andrew are lighting candles. "You really think this is going to work?" he asks, "No, not really. But it was the only thing I could come up with." They hear a noise, nod to each other. Andrew stands and pulls a gun from the small of his back. He stalks in the direction of the sound. Some distance away, he freezes, hearing something behind him. Angela advances towards him. He turns at the last minute, and points the gun at her; she stops short "Wait! It's not what you think. I didn't ask to be brought back. But it's still me. I'm still a person. Please." 

After hearing her out, he fires the gun, hitting her square in the forehead. She screams, her head snapping back. Then he bolts back towards the grave. She tackles him, and he lands hard on the ground; she twists his head back. Averie fires at her, startling her back to standing. She shoots her several more times until she falls straight back into the open grave, landing in the empty coffin. Averie grabs a long metal stake and runs to the grave, sliding the last length on her knees and diving into the coffin. She buries the stake in her chest, pinning her in "Wait, don't-!" Averie drives it further in. She gasps one last time, then goes limp. She pulls back, panting "What's dead should stay dead."

-MORNING-

They pat down the dirt over the grave "Rest in Peace." Andrew says, "Yeah. For good this time, okay?" They turn away, heading for the car. Andrew grunts as he lifts the shovel over one shoulder "You know, that whole fake ritual thing, luring Angela into the cemetery? Pretty sharp." "Thanks." "But did we have to use me as bait?" "I figured you were more her type. You know, she had pretty crappy taste in guys." he nods and looks down at his hand "I think she broke my hand." Averie chuckles "You're just too fragile. We'll get it looked at later." She looks at Madison's grave, pausing for a moment "You want to stay for a while?" "No." They drop their things in the trunk of the car and get in, Averie in the driver's side. 

~HIGHWAY~

Driving along the road, Averie is scowling. Andrew looks at her, concerned. She pulls the car across the road to stop. She gets out and sits on the hood, Andrew follows. "Av, what's wrong?" she stays silent for a minute "I'm sorry." "For what?" "The way I've been acting." he sits on the hood next to her. "And for Dad. I mean, he was your dad too. And it's my fault that he's gone." she says frowning, "What are you talking about?" "I know you've been thinking it -- so have I. Doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Back at the hospital, I made a full recovery. It was a miracle. And five minutes later Dad's dead and the Colt's gone." "Averie-" "You can't tell me there's not a connection there. I don't know how the demon was involved. I don't know how the whole thing went down exactly. But Dad's dead because of me. And that much I do know."

"We don't know that. Not for sure." he says turning to her, "Andrew.." she starts crying "You and Dad ... you're the most important people in my life. And now ... I never should've come back, Andrew. It wasn't natural. And now look what's come of it. I was dead. And I should have stayed dead. You wanted to know how I was feeling. Well, that's it." he nods, she continues "So tell me. What could you possibly say to make that all right?" He hugs her, she buries her head in his chest "I'm so sorry for getting Dad killed."


	5. Simon Said

Dr. Jennings walks down the street, his phone rings, he picks it up. "Hello. Yeah."

_The barrel of a shotgun rises_

"Alright."

 _Dr. Jennings cocks a shotgun._

He lowers the phone slowly. A city bus with a triangular Blue Ridge logo on the front passes. He smiles, turns, and continues walking. Across the street he enters a sports equipment shop and approaches a man leaning against a counter reading GUNS magazine. "After noon Dennis." Dennis looks up "Hey, Doc." "I'd like to look at a gun." Dennis laughs "Yeah, right." He just stares at Dennis "Seriously?" He crosses behind the counter in front of a display of guns. Dr Jennings looks around, then points "That one." Dennis unlocks the display and pulls out the indicated gun.

"Okay. That's a turkey hunter, twelve gauge, pump action. Doesn't leave enough turkey behind, if you ask me." he says, handing the gun to Dr. Jennings "What sort of shells does it use?" he puts a box of shells on the counter. "Right here. I'm taking the boys up to the cabin this weekend if you're uh... I mean if you think you might like to take up the sport." Dr. Jennings takes a shell and loads the gun "Thanks, but no. You know guns make me nervous, always have. This one goes in here, right?" "Whoa, Doc! No, you can't load a weapon on the premises, it's illegal!" "It's okay, Dennis." "No, no." "It's okay, Dennis. It's all gonna be okay." 

He turns the gun on Dennis and fires, Dennis is hurled against the wall as the blast hits him. The other customers start to panic "No, no, it's, it's okay. It's okay. It's all gonna be okay." He presses the shotgun against his chin; a sample sink is hanging on the wall above his head; the shotgun goes off again and the sink is splattered with blood. 

~BATHROOM. NIGHT~

Andrew gasps. He is leaning over the sink in a dingy bathroom, the water running, white flashes in his vision. "No.." He runs a hand under the water and washes his face, scrubbing the hand through his hair. As he shuts the water off and looks up into the mirror, the door opens Averie walks in "Andrew, come on, zip up. Let's hit the..." she looks at him "road. Are you okay?" Andrew breathes heavily.

~HIGHWAY~

Averie is driving the Impala, Andrew in the passenger's seat, down a dark two-lane road. The radio is playing " _Rockin' Nebraska. Your source for the classics, all night long._ " Averie glances over at Andrew "I don't know, man, why don't we just chill out, think about this." "What's there to think about?" he asks turning off the radio. "I just don't know if going to the Roadhouse is the smartest idea." "Av, it's another premonition. I know it. This is gonna happen, and James can tell us where." "Yeah, but-" "Plus it could have some connection with the demon. My visions always do." "That's my point. There's gonna be hunters there. I don't know if, if, if going in and announcing that you're some supernatural freak with a, a demonic connection is the best thing, okay?" "So I'm a freak now?" she pats his leg "You've always been a freak."

~ROADHOUSE~

Jacob is playing a shooter arcade game as an older man watches. He hits every target, and the man groans "Damn, little boy, that was my room money." "Well, I guess you're taking a truck nap tonight." he says taking the money. As Jacob walks away, pleased with himself, Natalie walks over "Oughta check the high scores before you put your money down." She presses a button on the game and a list of high scores - all reading "Player: J" scrolls across the screen. "You went and got yourself hustled, Ed." 

Averie and Andrew walk in, passing two people at a table cleaning weapons. Averie almost runs into Jacob, who stops, smiling "You just can't stay away, huh?" "Yeah, looks like. How you doin', J?" Andrew looks at him "Where's James?" "In his back room." he nods and leaves them alone. "And I'm fine..." Jacob says, "Sorry, he's, we're... kind of on a bit of a timetable." she says sadly, following him.

-

Andrew approaches a rough wooden door with a sign hanging on it that reads:

DR BADASS IS: IN

He knocks on the door "James? Hey, James?" Averie sighs and knocks "Hey, Dr. Badass?" The door is unlatched and opened a crack to reveal James, who is naked. Averie averts her eyes "Andrew? Averie? Averie and Andrew?" "Hey James. Um. We need your help." "Well, hell then. Guess I need my pants." he shuts the door, Averie and Andrew walk away.

-

James is sitting at a table with his laptop on, looking at the hand-drawn sketch of the bus logo from Andrew's vision. Andrew sits across from him; Averie stands behind. "Well, I got a match. It's the logo from the Blue Ridge bus lines in Guthrie, Oklahoma." "Okay. Do me a favor - check Guthrie for any demonic signs, or omens, or anything like that." "You think the demon's there?" Andrew nods "Yeah, maybe." "Why would you think that?" Averie glares at him "Just check it, all right?" he gives a look, Andrew and Averie look at each other frowning. "No, sir, nothing. No demon." James says looking up, Andrew sighs "All right, try something else for me. Search Guthrie for a house fire. It would be 1983, fire's origin would be a baby's nursery, night of the kid's six month birthday."

James looks at him, startled, and Averie looks around to check for eavesdroppers. Jacob, cleaning a table nearby, is watching them. "Okay, now that is just weird, man. Why the hell would I be looking for that." he pulls out a bottle of beer and sits it next to the laptop "'Cause there's a PBR in it for ya." "Give me fifteen minutes." Averie walks away and sits farther down the bar, near the jukebox.

-

Jacob presses a few buttons on the jukebox and the opening chords to REO Speedwagon "Can't Fight This Feeling" play. Averie, sitting at the bar, looks shocked. He carries a tray to the bar and sets it down, catching her eye, and sings a few lines "I can't fight this feeling any longer. And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow. What started out as friendship, Has grown stronger." Averie watches him, "What?" he asks, "REO Speedwagon?" "Damn right REO. Kevin Cronin sings it from the heart." "He sings it from the hair. There's a difference." they both laugh. "That profile you've got James looking for?" he asks, "Hmm?" "Your mom died the same way, didn't she? A fire in Andrew's nursery?" "Look, J, it's kind of a family thing."

He leans on the bar "I could help." "I'm sure you could. But we've got to handle this one ourselves. Besides, if I ran off with you I think your mother might kill me." Natalie, cleaning glasses behind the bar, looks at her. She smiles nervously "You're afraid of my mother?" "I think so." Andrew jogs over "We have a match. We've gotta go." Averie looks at Jacob "See you later."

~IMPALA~

Averie drives, singing "And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the window on a cold dark winter night. And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might..." Andrew looks over at her "You're kidding, right?" "I heard the song somewhere, I can't get it out of my head, I don't know, man. Whaddya got?" he looks down at a pile of papers. "Alex Gallagher. Born in eighty three, like me. Lost his mother in a nursery fire exactly six months later, also like me." "You think the demon killed his mom?" "Sure looks like it." "How did you even know to look for this guy?" he sighs "Every premonition I've had, if they're not about the demon they're about the other kids the demon visited. Like Elliot Miller, remember him?"

She nods "Yeah, but Elliot was a pasty little psycho." "The point is he was killing people. And I was having the same type of visions about him. And now it could be happening all over again with this Gallagher guy." "How do we find him?" "Don't know. No current address, no current employment. He still owes money on all his bills - phone, credit, utilities..." "Collection agency flags?" he shakes his head "None in the system." "They just let him take a walk?" "Seems like it. There's a work address from his last W-2, about a year ago. Let's start there."

~COFFEE SHOP. DAY~

Averie and Andrew sit at a table as Tracy hands them coffee, "You won't get anything out of Alex, guys. I'm sorry, but they never do." "They?" Andrew asks, "You're debt collectors, right? Once in a while they come by. I don't know what he says to them, but they never come back." "Actually we're, we're lawyers. Representing his Great Aunt Leta. She passed, God rest her soul, and left Alex a sizable estate." Averie says. "Yeah. So are you a friend of his?" Andrew asks, "I used to be, yeah. I don't see much of Alex anymore." Weber overhears "Alex? He kicks ass!" "Is that right?" Averie looks over, "Yeah. Alex can get you into anything. He even got me backstage at Aerosmith once, it was beautiful."

Tracy looks at him "How about bussing a table or two, Weber?" "Yeah. You bet, boss." "Look, if you want to find him, try Orchard Street. Just look for a van with a barbarian queen painted on the side." "Barbarian Queen?" Averie asks, "She's riding a polar bear. It's kind of hard to miss."

~ORCHARD STREET~

Averie and Andrew stake out Orchard Street, watching the aforementioned van-with-barbarian-queen. "I'm sorry, I'm starting to like this dude. That van is sweet." she looks over at Andrew, who looks upset, "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "Andrew, you look like you're sucking on a lemon, what's going on?" He sighs "This Alex Gallagher, he's the second guy like this we've found, Av. Demon came to them when they were kids, now they're killing people." "We don't know what Alex Gallagher is, all right? He could be innocent." "My visions haven't been wrong yet." "What's your point?" "My point is, I'm one of them." "No, you're not."

He turns to her "Averie, the demon said he had plans for me and children like me." "Yeah?" "Yeah, maybe this is his plan, maybe we're all a bunch of psychic freaks, maybe we're all supposed to be —" "What, killers?" "Yeah." "So the demon wants you out there killing with your minds, is that it? Come on, give me a break. You're not a murderer, Andrew! You don't have it in your bones." "No? Last I checked, I kill all kinds of things." "Those things were asking for it. There's a difference." Averie looks out the window, away from Andrew. Alex exits a building, wearing a pajamas and a long satin robe embroidered with dragons. "Got him." Andrew says, A woman in a second-story window waves to Alex, who blows her a kiss. He greets a man on the street, who smiles at him and hands Alex his coffee. Further along, He greets Dr. Jennings and shakes his hand.

"That's him. That older guy, that's him, that's the shooter." Andrew says, "All right, you keep on him, I'll stick with Alex. Go." Andrew gets out of the car and follows Dr. Jennings on foot. Alex gets in his van and drives off, Averie following in her car. A few minutes later, Alex stops and gets out of the van, walking back to Averie, who tucks a handgun into her jacket "Hey." "Hi." "This is a cherry ride." "Yeah, thanks." "Man, the '67? Impala's best year if you ask me. This is a serious classic." "Yeah. You know, I just rebuilt her, too." "Yeah?" "Yeah, can't let a car like this one go." "Damn straight. Hey. Can I have it?" "Sure." Averie gets out of the car, smiling, lets Alex in the driver's side. 

"Sweet." he says, Averie shuts the door "There ya go." "Take it easy." "You too." Alex drives off in the Impala, leaving Averie standing in the street, looking confused.

~ANOTHER STREET~

Andrew watches Dr Jennings from a short distance; his cell phone rings, just like in the vision, and he answers it. "Hello? Yeah." Andrew sees the Blue Ridge bus approach, and crosses in front of it towards the sporting goods store. He runs up the steps and inside, looking around. He sees the clerk and bystanders from his vision, he turns and pulls the fire alarm. Dr. Jennings approaches the store, but hearing the alarm go off he stops, confused, then turns and walks away. Andrew leaves the store and goes down to the street, where he sees Alex drive by in the Impala. He stares in shock, Dr. Jennings gets another cell phone call "Hello? Yeah? All right."

Andrew calls Averie "Averie! Alex's got the Impala!" " _I know! He just sorta asked me for it and I, I let him take it._ " "You what?!" " _He full-on Obi-Wanned me. It's mind control, man!_ " he sighs and looks up in horror as Dr. Jennings walks in front of a bus, which slams into him at full speed. As paramedics put Dr. Jennings' into a body bag, Andrew sits on the curb nearby. Averie sits next to him, with her hand on his back "I kept him out of the gun store. I thought he was okay. I thought he was past it, at least... I should have stayed with him."

~COFFEE SHOP~

Weber is busing dishes as Alex enters, looking upset. "Alex, what's up!" He raises a hand to high-five Alex, who ignores him and heads for Tracy. "Andy! What are you doing here?" she asks, "Doctor Jennings.. he's dead." "Oh no, I'm sorry." "I don't know, I, I, was, I was upset, and I wanted to see you." she holds his hands "Well, I'm glad you did. I um, I missed you. Oh, you know what? Some people were here this morning looking for you." "What people?"

~STREET~

Averie and Andrew walk over to the Impala "Thank god! Oh. I'm sorry, baby. I'll never leave you again." She hugs it "Well, at least he left the keys in it." he shakes his head "Yeah. Real Samaritan, this guy." "Well, it looks like he can't work his mojo just by twitching his nose, he's gotta use verbal commands." "The doctor had just gotten off his cell phone when he stepped in front of that bus. Alex must have called him or something." she sighs "I don't know, maybe.." "Beg your pardon?" "I just don't know if he's our guy, Andrew." "Averie, you had O.J. convicted before he got out of his white Bronco and you have doubts about this?" "He just doesn't seem like the stone-cold killer type, that's all. You know. And O.J. _was_ guilty." "Either way, how are we going to track this guy down?"

-

They approach Alex's blue van from the back, "Not exactly an inconspicuous ride. Let's have a look." she says as she pulls a small crowbar out of her jacket and pries open the back door. They look at the interior: disco ball, fur rugs, a tiger painted on the wall, several thick books, and an enormous bong. "Oh. Oh, come on. This is... this is magnificent, that's what this is. Not exactly a serial killer's lair, though. There's no... clown paintings on the walls, or scissors stuck in victims' photos. I like the tiger." she points at the tiger. Andrew looks at the books "Hegel, Kant, Wittgenstein? That's some pretty heavy reading, Av." "Yeah, and uh, and Moby Dick's bong." she holds it up amazed.

~VACANT LOT, LATER~

They are sitting in the parked Impala. Averie is eating something in a foil wrapper as Andrew studies a stack of papers "Ugh. You know, one day I'd love to just sit down and eat something I didn't have to microwave at a minimart." "What I don't get is the motive. I mean, the doctor was squeaky clean, why would Alex waste him?" "If it _is_ Alex." "Seriously, enough." She looks at him "What?" "The doctor was mind-controlled in front of a bus. He just happens to have the power of mind control. You do the math." "I just don't think the guy's got it in him, that's all." he sighs "Well, how the hell would you know? I mean, why are you bending over backwards defending him?" "'Cause you're not right about this." "About Alex?"

Alex appears suddenly at Andrew's open window, slamming his hands down and leaning in "Hey! You think I haven't seen you two? Why are you following me?" The last sentence reverberates strangely; Averie looks stunned. Andrew sighs and calmly says "Well, we're lawyers. See, a relative of yours has passed aw-" " _Tell the truth_." "That's what I'm do-" Averie cuts him off "We hunt demons." "What?" Andrew looks at her "Averie!" "Demons and spirits. Things your worst nightmares wouldn't even touch. Andrew here, he's my brother." "Averie, shut up!" 

She sighs "I'm trying. He's psychic. Kind of like you. Well, not really like you, but see, he thinks you're a murderer, and he's afraid that he's going to become one himself, 'cause you're all part of something that's terrible. And, I hope to hell that he's wrong, but I'm starting to get a little scared that he might be right." Alex looks at them "Okay, you know what? _Leave me alone!_ " "Okay.." "All right." Alex walks away. Averie cringes, holding her head, as Andrew gets out of the car, following Alex.

"What are you doing? Look, I, I said leave me alone. _All right? Get out of here, just start driving and never stop._ " Andrew glares at him "Doesn't seem to work on me." "What?" "You can make people do things, can't you? You can tell them what to think." Averie gets out of the Impala and starts walking over, Andrew motions for her to stop "Look, tha-that's crazy." "It all started about a year ago, didn't it? After you turned twenty-two. Little stuff at first, and then you got better at controlling it." "How do you know all this?" "Because the same thing happened to me, Alex. My mom died in a fire, too. I have abilities too. You see, we're connected, you and me." "You know what? Just, just, just, just get out of here, _all_ _right_?!" Andrew looks at him, confused, "Why did you tell the doctor to walk in front of a bus?" "What?"

Andrew gets a vision -- flash of fire, and a hand holding a gas pump, he cringes. The vision continues in pieces as he tries to focus on Alex. "Why did you kill him?!" "I didn't!" Andrew cringes as the vision hits full force. 

_A middle aged blond woman, Holly, with leather gloves and a long black coat is pumping gas into an SUV. Her cell phone rings; she answers. "Hello? Sure, I can do that." She hangs up the phone and leans into the car, pressing down the cigarette lighter. She pulls out the gas pump and starts drenching herself in gasoline. A gas station employee across the way sees her "Hey Lady, what're you doing!" Holly pulls the cigarette lighter out and steps into the open, holding her arms out "It's gonna be okay." She lowers the lighter to her drenched arm, "No!" she bursts into flames as the man watches in horror._

Andrew, hands on his head, starts to fall; Averie runs over to catch him and lowers him gently to the asphalt. "Andrew, what is it?" "Look, I didn't do anything to him." Alex says, "A woman. A woman burning alive." "What else'd you get?" "A gas station, a woman is gonna kill herself." Alex looks shocked "What does he mean, going to? What is he, what is -" "Shut up!" she screams at him. "She gets triggered by a call on her cell." "When?" "I don't know." she helps him stand up "But as long as we keep our eyes on this son of a bitch he can't hurt her." "I didn't hurt anybody!" Alex says, Andrew looks at him "Yeah, not yet." 

A fire engine roars past, sirens blaring. They turn to watch it, "Go." Andrew says to Averie, she runs off to follow the siren; Alex tries to step past Andrew, who stops him with a hand on his chest "You're staying with me."

~GAS STATION~

Averie watches as firefighters put out Holly's body, she calls Andrew "Hey, it's me. She's dead. Burned up, just like you said." " _When?_ " "Like minutes before I got here! I mean the smell hasn't even cleared. What's up with your visions, man? This wasn't even a head start." " _I don't know, all right? I can't control them, I don't know what the hell is going on._ " "Listen, you were with Alex when this whole thing went down, so it, it can't be him, it's gotta be somebody else doing this." " _That doesn't make any sense._ " "What else is new? Well, I'll dig around here, see what else I can find."

~VACANT LOT~

Andrew and Alex sit across from each other on an abandoned truck. "So you get these premonitions of people about to die?" Andrew nods "That's impossible." "A lot of people would say the same thing about what you do." he says chuckling. "But..death visions." Alex says freaked out, "Yeah.." "Dude, that sucks. I mean, like, when I got my mind thing? It was like a gift, you know, it was, it was like I won the Lotto." "But you still live in a van. I don't get it, I mean, you could ... have anything you ever wanted." "I mean, I, I got everything I need." Andrew looks at him "So you're really not a killer, huh?" "That's what I've been trying to tell you!" he says laughing, "That's good. Means there's hope for both of us." 

Averie pulls up in the Impala, Andrew and Alex stand. She gets out of the car, "Victim's name was Holly Beckett, forty-one, single." Andrew turns to Alex "Who is she?" "I don't know." Averie sighs "Called James on the way over here; he came up with a little something. Apparently Holly Beckett gave birth when she was eighteen years old, back in 1983. Same day you were born, Alex." "Were you adopted?" Andrew asks, "Well, yeah." "You were? And you neglected to mention that?" "Never really came up. I mean, I, I never knew my birth parents, and, and like you said my adopted mom died when I was a baby -- do you, do you think this Holly woman could actually be my m-" Averie sighs and cuts him off "I don't know. I tried to get a copy of the birth records, but they're hard copy only, sealed in the county office." 

~RECORDS OFFICE. NIGHT~

As Andrew and Averie go through boxes of files, Alex walks an elderly security guard to the door. "Probably shouldn't have left you kids in here." "No, it'll all be fine. All right? Just go get a cup of coffee." the guard leaves, Alex turns around and says "These aren't the 'droids you're looking for." Averie laughs "Awesome." Andrew pulls something out "I got it." "Yeah?" "Yeah. Alex, it's true. Holly Beckett was your birth mother." "Huh. Does anyone have a Vicodin?" he asks, "Dr. Jennings was her doctor, too, I mean, he oversaw the adoption. You have a solid connection to both of them." "Yeah, but I, I didn't kill them." "We believe you." Averie says turning to him, "But uh, who did?" "I think I got a pretty good guess. Holly Beckett gave birth to twins."

-

Alex sits with both hands on his head, staring straight ahead in shock. Averie is standing by a printer nearby, Andrew is pacing with a folder in his hands. "I have an evil twin." Andrew sighs "Holly put you and your brother up for adoption. And you went to the Gallagher family, obviously, and your brother went to the Weems family from upstate." she kneels in front of Alex "How you doin'? Still with us?" "Um. What was my brother's name?" Andrew looks at the file "Here. Um, Ansen Weems. And he's got a local address." "He-He lives here?" "Let's get a look at him. Got his picture coming off from the DMV right now." Averie says grabbing a paper from the printer. "Hate to kick you while you're freaked." she hands it to him, he looks up shocked.

~COFFEE SHOP~

The coffee shop is nearly empty; Weber and Tracy are closing up. "Hey, Trace?" "Yeah?" "You and Alex, you guys went together for a while, didn't you?" "Yeah, why?" "I don't know, I was just wondering. I, I was wondering how you felt about him these days. I mean, I've seen you guys together, it seems like there's still something there. Just... were you guys ever, like, serious?" she looks at him "Um, no." "C'mon Trace. _Tell the truth_."

~ROAD~

Averie drives the Impala down a dark road with Andrew next to her and Alex in the back seat. "All right, Alex. Tell us everything you know about this guy." he says looking into the rearview mirror "Well, I mean, not much. I... Weber shows up one day, eight months ago? Acting like he's my best friend in the world. Kinda weird, like, trying too hard, you know?" he winces, rubbing his eyes. Averie sighs "Must have known you guys were twins. Why did he change his name? Why not just tell you the truth?" "No idea." Andrew yells in pain, "Andy?" she asks. 

_Tracy, wearing only satin lingerie, walks slowly to the side of a ravine. Crying, she climbs onto the ledge and looks around. She pauses, looking back, then leaps._

Andrew screams in pain again, struggling with the door, "Andrew! Andrew!" Averie yells trying to stop him. She stops the Impala as Andrew shoves the door open, leaning out. She gets out and runs around the car to kneel beside him, grabbing his shoulders "Andrew, look at me.."

~BRIDGE~

Anson/Weber drives onto the bridge from the last vision and pulls to a stop; Tracy is in the passenger's seat. He runs a hand slowly up her thigh, "I take my ladies here. They like it. Well, I mean, I like it, so ... of course they do too." "Please, I just wanna go home." she cries. " _Stop crying_. Hey. I get it. I see what you see in Alex, I mean, he's a genius. Books he reads? He's gonna be a great man someday. But he is my family, not yours. You can't have him. You're not gonna have anything after tonight."

Near the Bridge, the Impala pulls to a stop. Andrew and Averie get out and circle around to the trunk, which Averie opens. "Av, you should stay back." "No argument here. Had my head screwed with enough for one day." He pulls out two handguns; as he walks forward he's stopped by Alex, who has gotten out of the car. "I'm coming with you." "Alex, no." "If it's Tracy out there ... then I'm coming." 

~ANSON'S CAR~

Crying again, Tracy is unbuttoning her dress as Anson watches, "Okay. Slower. Tracy? I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay? When we're done here, I want you to head over to the edge of the dam. Okay?" "Okay." "And when you get there, you're gonna think you can fly. _And you're just gonna step right off. You -- you can fly, can't you?_ " "Yeah, I think so." she sobs. "You might get scared, but I want you to say that it's okay. _Just tell yourself, everything is okay_." The window behind his head shatters, and Andrew shoves a handgun in his face "Get out of the car! Now!" " _You really don't want to do this._ " Andrew backhands him, hard. On the other side of the car, Alex opens the door and pulls Tracy out "Tracy! Come here, come here, come here. It's okay." "Alex! I can't! I couldn't control myself."

Andrew opens Anson's door and pulls him out of the car. He pins him face down over the pavement with the gun aimed at his head "Don't move! Don't move." Alex runs over to them and shoves a strip of duct tape over Anson's mouth. He rears back and kicks him twice, furious. Andrew pushes him back "No! No, Alex, let me handle this, all right?" "I'm gonna kill you!" "No! I'll handle this, I'll handle this!" "I will kill you!" "Alex! Listen to me! Listen to me!" Anson stares at Tracy, who picks up a large stick and hits Andrew on the back of the head with it. He goes down, unconscious. Alex turns to her as Anson stands up "Tracy, stop! _I said stop_!" She drops the stick and backs away, terrified. He turns back to Anson, who pulls the duct tape off his mouth.

"How did you do that? You didn't speak!" "Practice, bro. If you'd just practice, you would know. Sometimes you don't need to use your words. If you have to," Anson taps his forehead "all you need is this. Sometimes the headache's worth it." "You're a twisted son of a bitch!" he screams grabbing him. "Back off, Alex. Or Tracy's gonna do a little flying." he turns to see Tracy standing on the ledge, "Aren't you, Trace?" he looks at Alex "I'm stronger than you. I can do it." "Okay, okay. Okay. All right, just... just please don't hurt her." Alex backs up. "Don't be mad at me, okay? I know, it's, it's all wrong. I didn't mean for this to happen, it's just... Tracy? She's trying to come between us."

Alex glares at him "You're insane." "She's garbage! Man, they all are! We can, we can push them, we can make them do whatever we want!" "Are you really... are you really this stupid? Is it--?" "Wha-" "I mean, you, you learn you've got a twin...you call him up, you go out for a drink, you don't start killing people!" Anson sighs "I've wanted to tell you for so long, bro. But he didn't let me. He said I had to wait until the time was..." "Who?" "The man with yellow eyes." "What are you talking about?" "He came to me. In my dream. He said I was special. He told me he's got big plans for me. Wait 'till you see what's in store, Andy, for both of us! See, he's the one who told me that ... I had a brother. A twin."

Within shooting distance, Averie stalks to a hiding place with a sniper rifle.

Alex stares at him "Why did you kill our mother? Why? And why Dr. Jennings?" "Because they split us up! They ruined our lives, Andy! We could have been together this whole time. Instead of alone. I couldn't, I couldn't let 'em do that, I couldn't let them get away with that. No." 

She crouches in the shadows and lines up the shot.

Anson turns, hearing something. He peers into the distance, into Averie's hiding place. "I see you, _bye-bye._ " 

Averie turns the rifle up and tucks the barrel under her chin.

Andrew wakes up and sees Averie turn the rifle on herself "Averie, no!" he closes his eyes as there's a gunshot. Anson jerks; Alex shot him in the back. Anson falls; he lowers the gun, shaking.

-MORNING-

Rescue and police crews have arrived on the scene. Alex is talking to three police officers, his stance confident. Andrew is crouching by a wall, a paramedic tending to his shoulder. Averie stands at his side. " _He shot himself. And you all saw it happen._ " the police officers nod "Yeah. We did." Andrew and Averie look at Alex "Look at him. He's getting better at it." He passes an ambulance where Tracy is sitting, a blanket around her shoulders. She avoids eye-contact. He approaches them "She won't even look at me." Andrew nods "Yeah, she's pretty shaken up." "No, it's, this is different. It's, uh, I never, I never used my mind thing on her before. Before last night. She's scared of me now." he hands him a piece of paper "Hey, I hate to do this, but um, we have to get out of here. Here. I wrote down my cell. You don't have to be alone in this, all right? If anything comes up, just call me up." "Wha- what am I supposed to do now?" Averie smiles "Be good, or we'll be back."

They walk away "I was right." he says, "About what?" "Alex, he's a killer after all." she sighs "No, he's a hero. He saved his girlfriend's life, he saved my life." "Bottom line, last night, he wasted somebody." "Yeah, but he's not a foaming-at-the-mouth psycho. He was just, he was pushed into that." "Anson was pushed too, in his own way. Elliot Miller was pushed. Hell, I was pushed by Hannah death." "What's your point?" Averie asks turning to him, "Right circumstances, everyone's capable of murder. Everyone. You know, maybe that's what the demon's doing. Pushing us. Finding ways to break us."

"Andrew, we don't know what the demon wants, okay?" "You know, I heard you before, Av, when Alex made you tell the truth. You're just as scared of this as I am." "That was mind control! I mean, it's like, like, that's like being roofied, man, that doesn't count." "What?" "No. I'm, I'm calling do-over." Andrew looks at her "What are you, seven?" "Doesn't matter. Look, we've just gotta keep doing what we're doing, find that evil son of a bitch and kill it." "Yeah, I guess.." Averie's phone rings, she flips it open "Hello? Natalie, what's going on? Yeah, alright."

~ROADHOUSE~

Andrew and Averie are sitting at the bar, Natalie behind it and Jacob walking around the outside. "J?" "Hmm?" "Go pull up another case of beer." "Mom.." "Now. Please." As he leaves, Natalie leans on the bar in front of them "So. You uh, you want to tell me about this last hunt of yours?" Averie looks at her "No. Not really. No offense, it's just kind of a family thing." "Not anymore." she drops a stack of papers onto the bar "I got this stuff from James. Alex Gallagher's house burnt down on his six month birthday, just like your house. You think it was the demon both times, don't you? You think it went after Gallagher's family?"

Andrew sighs "Yeah, we think so." Averie looks at him "Andrew.." "Why?" "None of your business." she snaps, "You mind your tongue with me, girl. This isn't just your war, this is war. Now, something big and bad's coming and it's coming fast, and their side holds all the cards. Now, at best all we got is us. Together. No secrets or half-truths here." he looks up at Natalie "There are people out there, like Alex Gallagher, like me. And um ... we all have some kind of ability." "Ability?" "Yeah. Psychic ability. Me, I have, um, I have visions. Premonitions. I don't know, it's, it's different for everybody. The demon said he had plans for people like us." "What kind of plans?"

"We don't really know for sure." "These people out there, these psychics -- they dangerous?" "No. Not all of them." Averie looks at him "But some are. Some are very dangerous." Natalie nods "Okay, how many of them are we looking at?" "We've been able to track a clear pattern so far. They've all had house fires on the night of the kid's six month birthday." Andrew shakes his head "That's not true." "What?" "Weber? Or Ansen Weems, or whatever his name is -- I looked at his files, and there was no house fire. There's nothing out of the ordinary." Natalie sighs "Which breaks pattern. So if there's any others like him, there'd be nothing in the system. No way to track 'em all down." Averie looks around "And so who knows how many of 'em are really out there?" Jacob walks around the corner "Jacob, honey?" Natalie asks turning around "Yeah?" "You'd better break out the whiskey instead."


	6. No Exit

~APARTMENT. PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. NIGHT~

A young blonde woman, Katie Burns, is talking on the phone while pacing under the flickering lights. She is annoyed, "I checked the fuses. They're fine. It's the wiring. Look, you promised the place would be ready when I moved in. No. You come up now! Please. Thank you." she hangs up. She grimaces at something on the table, reaches out a finger and dabs it. It's a thick black goo "Gross." More goo drips on her shoulder, she looks up, getting scared. She goes over to the light switch by the wall, out of which the goo is oozing thickly "What the hell?" She looks deeper into the light switch; a creepy, bloodshot eye appears, she screams.

~ROADHOUSE. DAY~

Andrew and Averie are getting out of the Impala, parked in front of the Roadhouse. "Los Angeles, California." Averie says "What's in L.A.?" "Young girl's been kidnapped by an evil cult." "Yeah? Girl got a name?" "Katie Holmes." "That's funny. And for you, so bitchy." he says laughing, From inside the roadhouse comes the sound of breaking glass and shouting voices. Averie turns "Of course, on the other hand — catfight." On the upper level, Natalie and Jacob are shouting. Andrew and Averie enter cautiously, "I am your mother, I don't have to be reasonable!" "You can't keep me here!" "Oh, don't you bet on that." "What are you going to do, are you going to chain me up in the basement?" "You know what, you've had worse ideas than that recently. Hey, you don't wanna stay, don't stay. Go back to school." "I didn't belong there! I was a freak with a knife collection." "Yeah, and getting yourself killed on some dusty back road, that's where you belong?!" 

Natalie walks down the stairs and sees them "This is a bad time." Averie nods, "Yeah, we rarely drink before ten anyway." "Wait. I wanna know what they think about this." Jacob says. A mom, a dad, and two kids under three, all wearing bright yellow t-shirts that read "Nebraska is for Lovers" enter, "I don't care what they think!" the Dad looks at them "Are you guys open?" "No!" "Yes." They leave, the phone rings. Jacob glares at it, then at Natalie, who stalks over to answer it "Harwell. Yeah, Preacher?" "Three weeks ago a young girl disappears from a Philadelphia apartment." Jacob says holding a folder in front of Averie, "Take it, it won't bite." "No, but your mom might." He pinches his lips, still holding out the folder. She takes it reluctantly, "And this girl wasn't the first. Over the past eighty years six women have vanished. All from the same building, all young blondes. Only happens every decade or two so cops never eyeball the pattern. So we're either dealing with one very old serial killer, or —"

"Who put this together? James?" "I did it myself." "Hmm." Andrew looks over her shoulder "I gotta admit. We hit the road for a lot less." "Good. You like the case so much, you take it." Natalie says setting the phone down, "Mom!" "Jacob, this family has lost enough. And I won't lose you too. I just won't."

~KATIE'S APARTMENT~

Andrew and Averie walk in, "I feel kind of bad, snaking Jacob's case." he says, she looks at him "Yeah, maybe he put together a good file. But could you see him out here working one of these things? I don't think so." They both pull out EMF meters, "You getting anything?" "No, not yet." As Andrew runs his reader over the light switch, it purrs. He leans over, "What's that?" Averie turns "What?" "Holy crap." she walks over and touches the goo "That's ectoplasm. Well, Andrew, I think I know what we're dealing with here. It's the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man." he rolls his eyes "Av, I've only seen this stuff, like, twice. I mean, to make this stuff you have to be one majorly pissed off spirit." "All right, let's find this badass before he snags any more girls." 

They exit the apartment and walk down the hallway; hearing voices, they hide around a corner. Averie frowns as she realizes the one man's voice belongs to Jacob, "It's so convenient." "Yeah, it's a great building, fixed it up real nice. All the apartments come furnished, too." "It is so spacious. You know, my friend told me I absolutely have to come check it out, and I have to admit, she was right. You did a really good job with this place." Averie and Andrew step out "J, what're you doing here?" "There you are, honey." He puts his arms around her waist "This is my girlfriend Averie and her buddy Andrew." "Good to meetcha. Quite a guy you've got here." "Yeah, he's quite a pistol." "So, did you already check out that apartment? The one for rent." he asks her, "Yeah. Yes. Loved it. Heh. Great flow."

Ed, the landlord, looks confused "How'd you get in?" "It was open." "Now, Ed, um, when did the last tenant move out?" "Oh, about a month ago. Cut and run, too. Stick me for the rent." "Well. Her loss, our gain! 'Cause if Av loves it, it's good enough for me." she looks at him "Oh, sweetie." he kisses her and pulls out some cash, "We'll take it."

-

Averie and Jacob sit at the table, Andrew sits on the couch. "I'll flip you for the sofa." Jacob says, "Does your mother even know you're here?" she asks "Told her I was going to Vegas." "You think she's gonna buy that?" "I'm not an idiot. I got James to lay a credit card trail all the way to the casinos." "You know, you shouldn't lie to your mom. Shouldn't be here either." "Well, I am. So untwist your panties and deal with it." Andrew looks at him "Where'd you get all that money from, anyways?" "Working, at the Roadhouse." "Hunters don't tip that well." "Well, they aren't that good at poker, either."

Averie's phone rings, she answers it "Yeah?" " _Is he with you?_ " "Oh, hi Nat." " _He left a note he's in Vegas. I don't believe it for a second._ " she holds the phone back, "I'm telling her." Jacob and her have a muttered argument. " _Averie?_ " "I haven't seen him." " _You sure about that?_ " "Yeah, I'm sure." " _Well, please. If he shows up, you'll drag his ass right back here, won't you?_ " "Absolutely." " _Okay. Thanks, honey._ " she hangs up, Jacob grins "Thanks Av."

-HOURS LATER-

Averie is pacing, Jacob sitting at the table with blueprints spread out. He's flipping a small knife around "This place was built in 1924. It was originally a warehouse, converted into apartments a few months ago." "Yeah? What was here before 1924." "Nothing. Empty field." "So, most likely scenario, someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell." Andrew says, "I already checked. In the past eighty two years, zero violent deaths. Unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor." he looks at Averie "Would you sit down?" 

She sits "So, have you checked police reports, county death records..." "Obituaries, mortuary reports and seven other sources. I know what I'm doing." "I think the jury's still out on that one. Could you put the knife down?" he sets it down, "Okay! So, uh, it's something else, then. Maybe some kind of cursed object that brought a spirit with it?" Andrew guesses "Well, we've got to scan the whole building. Everywhere we can get to, right?" "Right. So. You and Jacob, will take the top two floors." "We'd move faster if we split up." Averie says, Andrew looks at her "This isn't negotiable."

~HALLWAY~

Jacob is walking behind Averie, they both have EMF meters, "So. You gonna buy me dinner?" she asks, "What are you talking about?" "It's just if you're gonna ride me this close it's only decent you buy me dinner." "Oh, that's hilarious. You know, it's bad enough I lied to my mom, but if you think I'm letting you out of my sight... I don't know if you've noticed, but you're kind of the spirit's type." "Exactly." "You wanna be bait?" "Quickest way to draw it out." "Oh.." "What?" "I'm so regretting this." "You know, I've had it up to here with your crap." "Excuse me?" he says.

"Your chauvinist crap. You think women can't do the job." Averie says, he chuckles "Sweetheart, this ain't gender studies. Women can do the job fine." "Amateurs can't. You have no experience. What you do have is a bunch of half-baked romantic notions that some barflies put in your head." "Now you sound like my mother." "Oh, and that's a bad thing? Because let me tell you-" "What?" "Forget it." Jacob glares at her "Jacob, you've got options. No one in their right mind chooses this life. My dad started me in this when I was so young... I wish I could do something else." "You love the job." "Yeah, but I'm a little twisted." "You don't think I'm a little twisted too?" "You've got a mother that worries about you. Who wants something more for you. Those are good things. You don't throw things like that away. Might be hard to find later."

They approach a grating near the floor. As Averie stands in front of it, a dark hand slides through the holes towards her legs, she back away, "What?" Jacob asks. "I'm not sure. You smell that?" "What is that, a gas leak?" "No. Something else. I know it. I just can't put my finger on it." Jacob crouches by the grate, his EMF meter purrs, "Mazel Tov. You just found your first spirit." "It's inside the vent." Averie crouches beside him, shining her flashlight. She hands it to him, "Here." she pulls out a screw driver and unscrews the grating "There's something in there." she reaches her hand in, then pulls her hand out, holding a clump of blond hair. "Somebody's keeping souvenirs."

~TERESA ELLIS' APARTMENT. NIGHT~

Another young blonde woman, Teresa Ellis, enters her apartment, carrying mail. She drops her bag on the counter and starts opening a letter, muttering to herself. Goo drips from the ceiling onto the paper, which she tosses in the garbage. The lights flicker; looking up, she sees a large crack appear in the ceiling. "This building, I swear to God..." A loud scraping sound pulls her eyes back up; a long crack is moving across the ceiling. Panicked, she picks up the phone, but gets only static. She goes to the door and tries to open it, but can't. She looks down by a grating near the floor; the creepy slimy hands from earlier reach out and grab her legs. She screams as they pull her to the floor.

~APARTMENT. MORNING~

Averie is twisted up in a very awkward sleep-position on a leather sofa. Sirens sound nearby and she wakes, groaning. Jacob is sitting at the table, twirling his knife and studying notes and blueprints "Morning Princess." "Where's Andrew?" "Went to get coffee." she sits up groaning. "Ugh. My back. How'd you sleep on that big soft bed?" "I didn't. Just been going over everything." She gets up and grabs a bag, she sits it on the table and pulls out a Bowie knife, unsnapping it from the sheath and handing it to him, hilt-first. "Here." "What's this for?" "Work a hell of a lot better than that little pig-sticker you're twirling around." Jacob takes the knife, then hands her his. She studies it, and sees engraved on the blade: A.E.H. She looks up at him, confused.

"Anthony Edward Harway." he says, "I'm sorry. My mistake." she takes her knife back, sheathing it. "What do you.. what do you remember about your dad? I mean, what's the first thing that pops into your head?" she looks at him and looks away "C'mon, tell me." She smiles "I was six or seven, and uh, he took me shooting for the first time. You know, bottles on a fence, that kind of thing. I bulls-eyed every one of 'em. He gave me this smile, like... I don't know." "He must've been proud." "What about your dad?" "I was still small when my dad died, but I remember him coming home from a hunt." 

Jacob smiles sadly and continues "He'd burst through that door like, like Steve McQueen or something. And he'd sweep me up in his arms, and I'd breathe in that old leather jacket of his. And my mom, who was sour and pissed from the minute he left, she started smiling again. And we were... we were a family. You wanna know why I want to do the job? For him. It's my way of being close to him. Now tell me what's wrong with that." "Nothin'." Andrew walks through the door, Averie looks over "Where's the coffee?" "There are cops outside. Another girl disappeared."

-

Andrew and Jacob are studying the notes, a little more urgently than before. Averie returns, shutting the door "Teresa Ellis, Apartment 2F. Boyfriend reported her missing around dawn." Jacob glances at her "And her apartment?" "Cracks all over the plaster, walls, ceiling. There was ectoplasm, too." "Well, between that and that tuft of hair I'd say this sucker's coming from the walls." Andrew says, "But who is it? Building's history is totally clean." Jacob picks up a photograph "Well, maybe we're looking in the wrong place." "What do you mean?" "Check this out." Andrew and Averie look, "An empty field?" Andrew asks "It's where this building was built. Take a look at the one next door. The windows." "Bars." Averie looks at him "We're next door to a prison?"

Jacob calls James to get information, "Thanks, James. And if you breathe a word of this to my mom..." " _You'll rip my balls off."_ "That's right. I will. With pliers." he hangs up. "Okay. Moyamensing prison. Built in 1835, torn down in 1963. And get this. They used to execute people by hanging them in the empty field next door." "Well, then, we need a list. All the people executed there." Andrew says, "James is on it." 

-

Andrew is scrolling down a very long list of names on his laptop, "A hundred fifty seven names?" Averie sighs "We've gotta narrow that down." "Yeah." "Or else we're gonna be digging up a hell of a lot of stiffs." He scrolls down to the name Herman Webster Mudgett and clicks on it, frowning "Herman Webster Mudgett?" Jacob nods, "Wasn't that H. H. Holmes' real name?" he asks, Averie looks at the page "You've gotta be kiddin' me. Holmes was executed at Moyamensing, May 7, 1896." "H. H. Holmes himself. Come on, I mean, what are the odds?" Jacob looks at them confused "Who's that?" She turns to him "The term "multi-murderer." They coined it to describe Holmes. He was America's first serial killer, before anybody knew what a serial killer was." Andrew nods "Yeah, he confessed to twenty seven murders, but some put the death toll at over a hundred." 

She sighs "And his victim flavor of choice? Pretty petite blondes. He, uh, he used chloroform to kill 'em. Which is what I smelled in the hallway last night. At his place, cops found human remains, bone fragments, and long locks of bloody blonde hair." she turns to Jacob "Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em." "Well, we just find the bones, salt 'em and burn 'em, right?" "Well, it's not that easy. His body is buried in town, but it's encased in a couple tons of concrete." "What? Why?" Averie looks over "The story goes that he didn't want anybody mutilating his corpse. 'Cause, you know, that's what he used to do." 

Andrew looks back at the computer "You know somethin'. We might have an even bigger problem than that." "How does this get bigger?" "Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago. He called it the Murder Castle. The whole place was a death factory, they had, uh, trap doors, acid vats, quick line pits... he built these secret chambers inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death." "So Teresa could still be alive. She could be inside these walls." "We need sledgehammers, crowbars. We've got to smash these walls, anywhere thick enough to hide a girl." Averie says.

~APARTMENT WALLS~

Averie and Jacob are squeezing through crawl-spaces inside the building walls. Averie is on the phone "Okay. Call us after you check the southeast wall." she hangs up "Andrew's almost done with the first floor. Hasn't found jack squat either." Jacob stops, "What is it?" "It's too narrow. Can't go any further." "Let me see." "What are you-" she squeezes past him "Ugh. Shoulda cleaned the pipes." "What?" he looks away "I, uh, I wish the pipes were cleaner." She chuckles "Shut up. I can fit in there." "You're not going in there by yourself. Andrew will kill me." "You got a better idea?" "You-" "Uh-huh." 

Averie continues down the tight space past Jacob. After she goes out of sight, he calls her on the phone "Where are you?" "On the North wall." she finds an air duct and starts climbing down it. "I'm heading down some kind of air duct." "No, no, no, no, stay up here." "Look, we've gotta find this girl, don't we? I'm okay." He looks at the blue prints "All right. I'm heading to you." She comes out into a similar space on a lower level and presses on. Goo starts pouring out from the wall cracks "Oh God.." "What is it? Averie? Av!" she screams. He runs down to the lower level, trying to hear where she is "Averie?" He takes the sledgehammer he's carrying and smashes a large hole in the wall. He pokes his head in and finds where Averie was, her cell phone lying on the floor. 

~HALLWAY~

Jacob rushes back up the hallway, running headlong into Andrew. "He's got Averie." "What? How'd that happen?" "I wasn't with her; I left her alone. Dammit!" Andrew looks at him "Hey, hey, look, we'll find her, all right?" "Where?!" "Inside the walls." "We've been inside the walls all night. None of the other girls were there, she won't be either." 

~APARTMENT. NIGHT~

Andrew sits at the table, Jacob's on the couch. Andrew sighs "Look. We've just gotta take a beat and think about this. Maybe we got Holmes' M.O. wrong." "Yeah, well, we'd better friggin' think fast." Andrew's phone rings, he answers "Yeah?" " _You lied to me. He's there_." "Nat-" " _No - James told me everything. Man's a genius, but he folds like a cheap suit. Now you put my damn son on the phone._ " he hands Jacob the phone. "Mom, I'm busy, on a hunt! We don't have time for this." " _Jacob Adam Harway, you lied to me and you con-ed them into lying._ " he sighs and hands the phone back to Andrew "He'll be okay, I promise." " _You promise. That is not the first time I've heard that from a Walker._ " "What?" " _I'm taking the first flight out. I'll be there in a few hours._ "

He looks at the phone after she hangs up "Damnit." Jacob mutters, "Don't beat yourself up, J. There's nothing you could have done." he looks at a paper "Tell me you found something." "Uh, maybe. Look. You look at the layout of the Holmes murder castle, there's all the torture chambers inside the walls, right?" "Right." "But there's one we haven't considered yet. The one in this basement." "This place doesn't have a basement." "You're right, it doesn't. But I just noticed this. Beneath the foundation, it looks like part of an old sewer system that hasn't been used for —" "Let's go." Jacob says grabbing his jacket and rushing out.

~SEWER~

Averie wakes in a small, dark place, lying on her back. She still has her flashlight; she shines it around to reveal a wall wood a few inches above her face - it has long scratches gouged in it. To her right is another wood panel with a slit; looking through she can see a larger, round chamber with similar compartments to the one she's in around it. 

She hears a noise "Hello?" "Is - is anybody there?" "Your name Theresa?" "Yes." "This won't make you feel better, but I'm here to rescue you." "Oh god. He's out there, he's gonna kill us!" "No, he won't. We're getting out. My brother and friend are looking for us, they'll find us." Quiet footsteps fall nearby: the spirit approaches "Oh god, he's here!" Theresa yells, "Shh! Just be quiet!" Averie says. The spirit's hand bursts through into Averie's prison and grabs her by the head. She screams as it rips off a chunk of her hair.

~STREET. DAY~

Andrew and Jacob, with a metal detector and a shovel, respectively, search the streets of Philadelphia. They follow the trail into an open field until Andrew stops over one spot, the metal detector whining. "Here." Jacob drops his bag and starts digging furiously. After some shovel work, they dig with their hands to uncover a metal trap door, which they pull open. Andrew hands him a shotgun and takes one, and a flashlight, then starts descending, Andrew follows.

~SEWER~

Averie is kicking steadily and furiously on the wall of her wooden cell. She drops back in exhaustion. She hears footsteps approaching and turns; a scraggly-bearded mouth appears at the opening "You're so pretty. So beautiful." "Go to hell!" He reaches his hand through the opening and gropes her. She turns away and groans in disgust and horror. Suddenly she turns, stabbing into the hand with her knife. The spirit flees, screaming "How do you like that? Pure iron, you creepy-ass son of a bitch!"

-

Averie lies on the floor, really still, listening. "Is he gone?" Theresa asks, "I don't know. I..." Holmes grabs Averie by the arm again, pulling her back, and clamps a hand down over her mouth. "Shhh." she struggles, trying to scream, but is gagged by his hand. "Hey!" Andrew yells, he fires a round into his chest, sending him flying backward. "Averie?!" "I'm here!" He finds an iron bar leaning against a wall and starts to pry open her prison with it. Jacob investigates the other compartments; one contains gruesome body parts. He finds Theresa "We're gonna get you out of here, all right?" "Andrew!" he hands him the crowbar.

He opens the compartment to let Averie out, "You alright?" "Been better. Let's get the hell out of here before he comes back." Andrew sighs "Actually, I don't think you're leaving here just yet." "What?" "Remember when I said you being bait was a bad plan? Now it's kind of the only one we got." They turn to Jacob, who is helping Theresa stand up.

-

Averie is sitting alone, silently, in the middle of the chamber. She has her arms wrapped around her knees and is trembling, but breathing deeply and steadily. Holmes appears behind her. He walks forward. When he gets very close, Andrew yells "Now!" she dives forwards as Andrew and Jacob fire at something on the walls; several bags unroll and spill salt in a perfect circle around Holmes, trapping him. Andrew pulls Averie to safety as he circles, gibbering and screaming in terror "Scream all you want, you dick, but there's no way you're stepping over that salt!" she yells, a grate slams shut, sealing off the room.

~STREET~

Jacob and Andrew are standing at the entrance to the sewers "So? This job as glamorous as you thought it would be?" "Well, except for all the piss-your-pants terror, yeah. Sure. But that Teresa girl's gonna live a life because of us. It's worth it, isn't it?" "Yeah. Yeah it is." "Hey, what if somebody finds that sewer down there, or a storm washes the salt away?" "Both very fine points. Which is why we're waiting here." "For what?" The loud beeping of large truck backing up is heard. Andrew smiles and looks over his shoulder: a cement mixer is backing into the field, stopping just over the sewer entrance "For that."

Averie gets out of the truck cab; she and Andrew set up the cement mixer right over the entrance. "You ripped off a cement truck?" Jacob asks, "I'll give it back." she looks down at the cement pouring "Well, that oughta keep him down there till hell freezes over."

~HIGHWAY. NIGHT~

The Impala zooms down a dark road, Averie is driving, Andrew and Jacob sit in the back. Natalie sits in the passenger seat "Boy, you, you really weren't kidding about flying out, were you?" Natalie has no reaction whatsoever. "How about we listen to some music?" Averie turns the radio on, Natalie turns it off, Jacob and Andrew exchange a look. Averie sighs "This is gonna be a long drive."

~ROADHOUSE~

Natalie storms in, dragging Jacob by the elbow. Averie and Andrew follow "Natalie? This is my fault. Okay? I lied to you and I'm sorry. But Jacob did good out there, I think his dad would be proud." "Don't you dare say that. Not you. I need a moment with my son. Alone." the two of them rush outside. "Mom, you're angry, I understand." "Angry? Angry doesn't begin to touch it." "Let's just think about this. Everything's okay, I'm alive..." "Not after I'm through with you." "Is this about me hunting, or something else?" 

Natalie glares at him "You lied to me!" "They were right there, backing me up the whole time." "That is why you do not have the sense to do this job, you're trusting your life to them." Jacob looks at her "What are you talking about?" "Like father, like kids, that is what I'm talking about." "Ethan? I thought you and him were friends." "Yeah, we were, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." "Mom? What aren't you telling me?"

-

Andrew and Averie are leaning on the Impala as Jacob comes storming out. He glares at Averie and keeps walking, so she follows. "That bad, huh?" "Not right now." "What happened? Hey, talk to me." she puts her hand on his shoulder "Get off me!" "Sorry. See you around." She turns to leave, "Averie. It turns out my dad had a partner on his last hunt. Funny, he usually worked alone; this guy did too, but... I guess my father figured he could trust him. Mistake. Guy screwed up, got my dad killed." "What does this have to do with—" "It was your father!" "What?" "Why do you think Ethan never came back? Never told you about us? Because he couldn't look my mom in the eye after that, that's why." "Jacob." "Just..just get out of here. Please, leave."


	7. The Unusual Suspects

~POLICE STATION. BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. NIGHT~

A woman is led down a dim police-station hallway in cuffs. In an office Peter Sheridan is on his cell phone, a mug of coffee in hand "Under what name? Oh, yeah, that's my favorite so far. Possible ID's in three states that we know of." he pulls a fax from the printer "I gotta call you back." Sheridan enters an interrogation room. He sits down, "Well, first I thought you were just stepping up your game. Credit card fraud, breaking and entering, and this one... puzzled me. Grave desecration. But still these are a long way from murder. Then we get a fax from St. Louis. Where you're suspected of torturing and murdering a young woman. However, no one could prove anything, of course, because supposedly you died there."

She glares at him "But you look pretty healthy to me. So now we know Karen Giles wasn't the first person you murdered. But I guarantee you she's the last." He gets up and leaves the room, Averie sighs as she sits in the chair.

~MOTEL ROOM~

A SWAT team breaks open a 2nd-floor door with a battering ram; inside, Andrew stops, holding his hands up. Diana Ballard advances on him, gun forward "Going somewhere, Andrew?" He looks terrified as she puts the handcuffs on him.

~POLICE STATION. HOURS LATER~

The policewoman from earlier enters another interrogation room, where Andrew is pacing by the window. She places a coffee cup on the table "Thought you might be thirsty." "Okay, so you're the good cop. Where's the bad cop?" "Oh, he's with your sister." "Okay. And you're holding us why?" "Well, she's being held on suspicion of murder. And you, we'll see." He leans forward shocked "Murder?!" "You sound genuinely surprised. Or are you that good of an actor?" "Who was he supposed to have murdered?!" "We'll get around to that." "Well, you can't just hold us here without formal charges!" "Well actually, we can, for forty eight hours, but you being a pre-law student, would know that. I know all about you, Andrew."

She looks down at a file "You're twenty three years old, no job, no home address. Your mother died when you were a baby, your father's whereabouts are unknown. And then there's the case of your sister Averie. Whose demise was, well, just a little bit exaggerated. Feel free to jump in whenever you like." he folds his arms "Shy? No problem. I'll keep going. Your family moved around a lot when you were a kid. Despite that, you were a straight-A student. Got into Stanford with a full ride. Then about a year ago there was a fire in your apartment. One fatality. Hannah Moore, your girlfriend. After she died, you fell off the grid. Left behind everything."

He frowns "I needed some time off. To deal. So I'm taking a road trip with my sister." "How's that going for you?" "Great. I mean... we saw the second largest ball of twine in the continental US. _Awesome_." He pulls a chair up to the table and straddles it, "We ran Averie's fingerprints through AFIS." "Okay?" "Got over a dozen possible hits." " _Possible_ hits. Which makes them worthless." "But it makes you wonder. What are we gonna find when we run your prints?" "Yeah, well." he hits the table "You be sure to let me know, all right." 

Andrew picks up the cup of coffee and takes a sip, Ballard looks at him "Andrew, you seem like a good kid. It's not your fault Averie's your sister. We can't pick our family. Right now detectives in St. Louis are exhuming a corpse. They're trying to figure out how your sister faked her own death. After torturing all those young women. Averie's a bad guy. Her life is over. Yours doesn't have to be." "You want me to turn against my own sister?" "No. We already caught her cold. Red-handed at the Karen Giles murder scene. We just need you to fill in some missing pieces." "Why would I do that?" "Because I can talk to the DA. Make a deal for you. You can get on with your life. Averie's as good as gone." He thinks for a moment then starts talking "My dad and Tony Giles were old friends. They were in the service together. We've known him since we were kids, you know? So we came as soon as we heard about his death."

~ _Flashback_ ~

Averie is sitting at a cafe table reading a newspaper; the headline reads: _Man's Throat Slit Without A Trace._ Andrew approaches with two cups of coffee and sets one down. As he sits, she hands over the paper "There." "Anthony Giles." "Who's Anthony Giles?" "He's a Baltimore lawyer. Working late in his office, check it out." "Uh...throat was slit, room was clean. Huh. No DNA, no prints." "Keep reading, it gets better." "Security cameras failed to capture footage of the assailant." "So I'm thinking either somebody tampered with the tapes --" "Or it's an invisible killer." She smiles "My favorite kind. What do you think, Scully? You wanna check it out?" "I'm not Scully, you're Scully." "No, I'm Mulder. You're a red-headed woman." he glares at her.

~ _Present_ ~

Andrew sits at the interrogation table "Woulda been kinda hard for Averie to kill Tony, considering we weren't in town at the time." "So tell me what happened next." "Okay, uh, that's when we went to see Karen. She was barely holding it together. We just wanted to be there for her. You know?"

~ _Flashback~_

Karen, a young woman with dark hair and dark-framed glasses, is sitting in her home, on the verge of tears. She's looking at some forms that Andrew and Averie, dressed as insurance company employees, have given her. "Insurance. I totally forgot about the insurance." he looks at her "We're very sorry to bother you right now, but the company is required to conduct its own investigation. You understand?" "Sure." "Okay. Um. If you could just tell us anything you remember about the night your husband died." "Uh, Tony and I were just supposed to have dinner. He called and said he was having computer troubles and that, that he had to work late. That was it." 

He nods "Do you have any idea who could have done this to him?" "No. No, it's like I told the police, I, I have no idea." Averie looks at her "Did Tony mention anything, you know, unusual to you? In the days before his death?" "Unusual?" "Yeah, like strange?" "Strange?" "You know, Karen, weird? Weird noises, uh, visions, anything like that?" Andrew clears his throat and gives Averie a look; Karen turns to Andrew, who turns on his concerned-face again, then shoots Averie another look as she glances down. 

"He had a nightmare the day before he died." "What kind of a nightmare?" "Uh, he said that he woke up in the middle of the night and there was a woman standing at the foot of the bed, he blinked and she was gone, I mean, it was just a nightmare." "Did he say what she looked like?" "What the hell difference does it make what she looked like?" "Uh, it's just, our, our company's very thorough." "He said she was pale, and she had dark red eyes."

~ _Present~_

Andrew sighs "So I gave Karen a hug, told her to call me if she needed anything, and that was it. End of story." Ballard looks at him "Andrew, I am trying to help you here. But you have got to be honest with me. Now we have an eyewitness. Someone who saw two people fitting your and your sister's description breaking into Giles' office." "Okay, look, Karen called us later, said that there was some stuff that she wanted from Tony's office, but the police weren't letting her in -- like, a picture of the two of them in Paris, and some other stuff. Look, it was wrong to enter a crime scene, but she gave us the key!"

~ _Flashback~_

Andrew picks the lock on Tony's office and he and Averie enter, ducking under the police tape. He shines his flashlight on a pool of blood on the floor, "Hey. Anthony Giles' body was found right about here. 'Throat slit so deep part of his spinal cord was visible.'" "What do you think? Vengeful spirit? Underlining _vengeful_?" "Yeah, maybe. I mean he did see that woman at the foot of his bed." She picks up a paper laying on the desk "Look at this." he takes the paper. It contains small-font printing of the word "danashulps" repeated over and over to fill the page "Dana Shulps, a name?" she sees another paper "I dunno, but it's everywhere." She grins "Well, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

Andrew shines his flashlight down on the glass table in front of him, pausing. He breathes on the glass, revealing the same letters - "DANASHULPS" — impressed in the surface "Wow. I'd say we've officially crossed over into weird." "Maybe Tony knew her?" "Or maybe it's the name of our pale red-eyed mystery girl." "Well. Let's see what we can see."

-

They are frustrated and have found nothing after searching through all accessible paper and computer files in the office. Andrew is at the desktop computer, "There's not a single mention of a Dana Shulps anywhere. There's not a D. Shulps. Or any other kind of friggin' Shulps." Averie says sighing. "Just _great_." "What have you got?" "Nothing. No Dana Shulps has ever lived or died in Baltimore in the last fifty years at least." "So what now?" he shrugs "Well, I think I'm pretty close to cracking Giles' password. Maybe there's something in his personal files, you know?" "By close, you mean.." "Thirty minutes, maybe?" "Awesome. So I guess I just get to, uh, hang out." 

Andrew types, concentrating. Averie sits down, annoyed, and starts making clicking and mouth-fart noises "Av, seriously?!" "All right, I'm gonna go talk to Karen again, see if she knows anything about this Dana Shulps, huh?" "Great." "Keep going, Sparky."

~ _Present~_

He looks at Ballard "Then Averie went back to Karen's place to check up on her. I mean, you know, she had been pretty upset earlier." "So why didn't you go with her?" "I just went back to the motel. How'd you know I was there, by the way?" "We found the motel matchbook on your sister when we arrested her. Let's quit fooling around. Now you were with your sister the whole time you were in Baltimore. Why separate now? Because your sister left you. To go murder Karen." "She didn't kill anyone." he says, flinching as Ballard hits the table "I heard the 9-1-1 call! Karen was terrified. She said someone was in the house."

~ _Flashback~_

Karen is sitting on the sofa in pajamas, crying. As she blows her nose, she hears a figure pass by. She takes off her glasses to rub her eyes; she pauses, then puts them back on. Across the room in a mirror she sees a ghostly figure. She turns on the light and the figure is gone. She gets up, panicked, and goes into the hallway, then into the bedroom and shuts the door. She calls 9-1-1 "Hello, emergency services." "Hello? I think I saw someone in my house." "It's 421 Clinton Avenue. Please, can you -" there's a click and the call disconnects "Hello?" 

The printer on her desk flicks on and starts printing out the same repeated pattern as before: "danashulpsdanashulpsdanashulps". She fumbles for a flashlight, turns, and sees the ghost behind her - it's a young blond woman with dripping red eyes, Karen screams. 

-

Averie knocks on the front door "Karen, you there?" she looks around, then picks the lock and enters. She tries the light by the door, but it doesn't work. She goes further into the house, up the stairs and into the bedroom. She pushes open the door and sees Karen lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. Her throat is slit deeply, Averie sees the pages from the printer and frowns "Seriously, what the hell?"

She kneels down by Karen's body, noticing bruises on her wrists. She takes one wrist in her hand "Freeze." behind her, two cops have their guns trained on him. "Stay on your knees. Hands where I can see them. Now!" she stays there, terrified, "Cuff her." 

~ _Present~_

Sheridan is sitting in an observation room from which he can see Averie, handcuffed to a table. Ballard walks over to him "You getting anywhere with her?" "No. Just a lot of wise-ass remarks. You?" "Andrew's story matches Averie's down to the last detail." "Hmm. Yeah, well, these two are good. I'll give 'em that." "If we don't get Andrew to flip we have nothing but a lot of circumstantial evidence." "Hey. We've got Averie at the crime scene with blood on his hands. Juries have convicted for less." She sighs "Yeah, but, I mean, where's the murder weapon? What's the motive? You talk about reasonable doubt." _  
_

"Diana." he touches her face, "Do you have reasonable doubt? We keep leaning on these two, one of them will tumble. And don't forget about St. Louis. I'm telling you. This Averie girl is our person." "I know Tony Giles was a friend of yours." she says, he nods "Yeah. He was, he was a good friend." "Look, and I know you want to clean this mess up quick. But come on, Tony knew a lot of criminal types, I mean, maybe we're just..." "Criminal types? He was a defense lawyer, for godsakes, of course he knew criminal types." "All right, let's get back at 'em." Diana goes to walk away, "No, you know what? Let 'em stew in their juices for a bit. Come here." he pulls her close and kisses her.

~AVERIE'S INTERROGATION ROOM/ANDREW'S INTERROGATION ROOM, ALTERNATING. DAY~

Averie, still handcuffed to the table, is muttering to herself, thinking "Dana Shulps, Dana Shulps, Dana **Shulps** Dana, **Dana** Shulps..." 

Andrew pulls a pad of paper and a pen to him and writes "DANA SHULPS" in block letters, frowning in thought.

She sighs "Maybe it's not a name. Maybe it's not a name." she nibbles on her lip, "What would it be then?"

"Anagram, maybe?" He writes "ANDA SPLUHS..." underneath the first line, "No, that doesn't look right.."

Averie rests her head on the table and continues mumbling to herself. There's a knock on the door; she looks up. A smiling middle-aged man pokes his head in "Miss Walker?" "Yeah?" "I'm Jeffrey Kraus. I'm with the public defender's office. I'm your lawyer." "Oh thank god, I'm saved." He walks over and sits, "Hey, could I, uh, steal a pen from you? Some paper?" "Sure." he hands her a pen and paper, she starts writing. "Uh, well, the police haven't found a weapon yet. So that's good. But, uh, they got your prints. And literally blood on your hands. And with your police record, uh..." she ignores him "Miss Walker, what're you doing?"

"I think it's an anagram." she says, "A what?" "An anagram. Same letters, different words." Averie looks down at the paper:

_DNA SHULPS  
DAN SHULPAS  
LAND PUSHAS  
SUPASH LAND  
PUSH LANDAS  
PLUSH DANAS_

"Uh, do me a favor? See if you recognize any of these words, you know, local names, places, anything like that?" she says, Jeffery looks at her "Do you understand how serious these charges are?" "I'm handcuffed to a table. Yeah, I get it. Humor me. Take a quick look." He looks at the paper "Well, S-U-P, I don't know about that, but Ashland is a street name. Not far from here." "A street." she flips the paper over and starts writing again. "Let's start with where you were the night Anthony Giles died." "Can you get in to see my brother?" "Miss Walker, you could be facing the death penalty here." "Hey, thanks for the law review, Matlock. But. If you want to help me..." she hands him the paper, folded up, "Go see my brother."

~ANDREW'S INTERROGATION ROOM~

Andrew is looking at the note Averie sent him, which reads:

_HILTS —  
IT'S A STREET  
ASHLAND.  
-MCQUEEN_

Jeffery looks at him "I hope that's meaningful. But I'd like to discuss your case now." "Sure thing, Matlock." he says motioning to the chair. "You two really are siblings, aren't you?" he asks sitting, "Now. As you know, the DA might be interested in..." A knock on the door is quickly followed by Diana, who addresses Jeffery "We need you. With the other one."

~AVERIE'S INTERROGATION ROOM~

Several others have crowded into the observation room outside where Averie is being held; across from her seat a digital camera has been set up. Diana and Jeffery walk in, "Counselor? Your boy decided to confess." Peter says, "Miss Walker, I'd advise against that greatly." "Talk directly into the camera, first stating your name for the record." Averie clears her throat and leans forward "My name is Averie Walker. I'm an Aquarius. I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky women. And I did not kill anyone. But I know who did. Or rather what did. Of course it can't be for sure, because our investigation was interrupted. But our working theory was that we're looking for some kind of vengeful spirit."

Diana looks at her "Excuse me?" "You know, Casper the bloodthirsty ghost?" In the observation room, the spectators start laughing, she sighs and continues "Tony Giles saw it. I'll bet you cash money Karen did too. But see, the interesting thing is the word it leaves behind. For some reason it's trying to tell us something. But communicating across the veil, it ain't easy. You know, sometimes the spirits, they, they get things jumbled. You remember "REDRUM". Same concept. You know, it's, uh, maybe word fragments... other times, it's anagrams. See, at first we thought this was a name, Dana Shulps. But now we think it's a street. Ashland. Whatever's going on, I'll bet you it started there."

Peter glares at her "You arrogant bastard. Tony and Karen were good people, and you're making jokes." "I'm not joking, Ponch." "You murdered them in cold blood just like that girl in St. Louis!" "Oh, yeah. That wasn't me either. That was a shape-shifter creature that only looked like me." She smiles and looks at the camera, Peter loses his temper and hauls Averie up by the collar, slamming her against the wall. She looks at him, terrified, Diana grabs his arm "Pete, that's enough!" he looks over at the other officers, "You asked for the truth." "Lock her up." Another cop takes over, shoving Averie face-first against the wall and handcuffing her.

~ANDREW'S INTERROGATION ROOM~

Peter and Diana return to find Andrew gone; the coffee and the note are still on the table. "What the hell? Where is he?" Peter goes to the window, which is open, and looks out - it's a four story drop with no visible fire escape nearby. Diana sees the note on the table and picks it up "What'd he do? The fire escape's way over... what?" Peter says confused. "These two.." she hands him the note "Hilts and McQueen?" "Hilts is Steve McQueen's character in the Great Escape."

~BATHROOM. NIGHT~

Diana enters the bathroom and the lights flicker. She sighs as she approaches the sink, it turns on by itself. She recoils, all the faucets start pouring out hot water, steam rising. In the fogging mirror the letters _DANASHULPS_ are formed; Diana scrubs them away to reveal the ghost. Her throat is slit deeply, her eyes deep red, she struggles to talk.

~AVERIE'S LOCKUP ROOM~

Averie is handcuffed to another table, she looks up as Diana enters, nervous. She shuts the door "Can we make this quick? I'm a little tired, it's been a long day, you know, with your partner assaulting me and all." "I want to know more about that stuff you were talking about earlier." "Time Life. Mysteries of the Unknown. Look it up." "Let's pretend for the moment you're not entirely insane." "Mmm." "What would one of these things be doing here?" Averie chuckles "A vengeful spirit? Well, they're created by violent deaths. And then they come back for a reason, usually a nasty one. Like revenge on the people that hurt 'em."

Diana nods, "And uh, these, they're capable of killing people?" she rubs her neck and Averie notices her wrists. "Where did you get that?" she pulls up her sleeves to reveal deep bruises, like those on Karen's wrists "I don't know. It, it wasn't there before." "You've seen it, haven't you? The spirit?" "How did you know?" "Because Karen had the same bruises on her wrists. And I'm willing to bet that if you look at Giles' autopsy photos he's got 'em too, it's got something to do with this spirit, I... I don't know what." 

Diana turns away and looks at the two-way mirror. "I know. You think you're going crazy. But let's skip that part, shall we? Because the last two people who saw this thing? Died, pretty soon after. You hear me?" "You think I'm going to die." "You need to go to Andrew. He'll help." "You're giving your brother up?" "Go to the first motel listed in the yellow pages. Look for Jim Rockford - it's how we find each other when we're separated. Now you can arrest him if you want. Or you can let him save your life."

~MOTEL ROOM.~

Andrew is sitting at a desk, going through files, humming to himself. There is a knock on the door; he opens it to find Diana; he hesitates, she shrugs and comes in. She shows him her wrists "These showed up after you saw it?" "Yeah, I-I guess." "All right. You're going to have to tell me exactly what you saw." "You know, I must be losing my mind. You're a fugitive. I should be arresting you." "All right. Well, you know what? You can arrest me later, all right? After you live through this. But right now you've gotta talk to me. Okay?" she nods, "Okay, great. Now, this spirit. What did it look like?" "She was, um, really pale, and her throat was cut, and her eyes, they were like, this deep dark red? It appeared like she was trying to talk to me. But she couldn't. It was just... a lot of blood." "You know what? Here. I've been researching every girl that's ever died or gone missing from Ashland Street."

He leads her over to a table, where he gathers up a stack of crime scene photos. "How'd you get those? Those are from crime scenes, and booking photos." she says, "You have your job, I have mine. Here. I need you to look through these, tell me if you recognize anyone." Diana sits and starts flipping through the stack. On the third photo, a young woman's booking photo, she stops. "That's her, I'm sure of it." "Claire Becker? Twenty eight years old, disappeared about eight or nine months ago." "But I don't even know her. I mean, why would she come after me?" "Well, before her death, she was arrested twice. For dealing heroin. You ever work narcotics?" "Yeah, Pete and I did. Before Homicide." 

He nods, "You ever bust her?" "Not that I remember." "It says that she was last seen entering 2911 Ashland Street. Police searched the place, didn't find anything. Guess we gotta check it out ourselves. See if we can find her body." "What? Why?" "Well, we gotta salt and burn her bones. It's the only way to put her spirit to rest." "Of course it is."

~2911 ASHLAND STREET~

Andrew leads Diana into a creepy warehouse, "So what exactly are we looking for?" "I'll let you know when we find it." They split up, Andrew checking up a flight of stairs and Diana continuing on the lower level. She turns towards a window and sees Claire, standing by the window struggling to talk. "Andrew! Andrew!" As he runs down the stairs to her, Claire disappears, "Hey! Hey, I'm here, what is it? What happened?" "Claire..." "Where?" "She, she was here." "Did she attack you?" "No. No, she was just like, reaching out to me. She was over there by the window." Diana points to a window blocked by a shelving unit, "Here, help me move this." "Alright." They shove the shelves aside, revealing the window. It is labeled from the outside:

ASHLAND SUP(PLIES) 

"Our little mystery word." she says, they turn to see a shadow on the opposite wall, casting the words into clear reflection. "Now the extra letters make sense." he says pulling out a EMF meter, "What is that?" "Spirits and certain remains give off electromagnetic frequencies." "So if Claire's body was here, that would indicate that?" "Yeah. Well, that's the theory." The EMF reader purrs as he waves it over the brick wall, he starts breaking through the wall with a sledgehammer. When he's knocked out a sizable hole, he pokes his flashlight inside "Yeah. Yeah, there's definitely something in there." 

He uses his hand to break a small part, "You know? This is bothering me." "Well, you are digging up a corpse." "No, not that. That's, uh, that's pretty par for the course, actually." "Then what?" "It's just, I mean, no vengeful spirit I've ever tussled with wanted to be wasted, so why the hell would Claire lead us to her remains? It doesn't make any sense." he looks at the wall, it's pretty broken up, "All right, here. Give me a hand." Together, they pull out a shroud-wrapped body and place it on the ground. Andrew pulls out a pocket knife and cuts the ropes holding the shroud together, uncovering her. Diana holds out her wrists, "Her wrists. Yeah, they'd be bruised just like yours?" she notices a necklace on the corpse and touches it cautiously.

"That necklace mean something to you?" he asks, "I've seen it before. It's rare. It was custom made over on Carson street." she pulls her necklace out from her shirt "I have one just like it. Pete gave it to me." he sighs "Now this all makes perfect sense." "I'm sorry?" "Yeah. You see, Claire is not a vengeful spirit, she's a death omen." "Excuse me?" "Claire's not killing anyone. She's trying to warn them. You see, sometimes spirits, they don't want vengeance, they want justice. Which is why she led us here in the first place. She wants us to know who her killer is. Detective, how much do you know about your partner?" she thinks "Oh my god.." "What? "About a year ago, some heroin went missing from lockup. Obviously it was a cop. We never found out who did it. But whoever did it would need someone to fence their product." "Someone like a heroin dealer. Somebody like Claire."

~HIGHWAY~

Peter is driving an armored van with Averie in the back, "So I'm being extradited to St. Louis, huh? And you just decided to transfer me yourself, eight hundred miles? At two in the morning?" "Shut up." "This can't be good." she mutters looking around.

-

Diana is driving Andrew down a stretch of road nearby, finishing a call on her cell phone. "All right. Thanks." "What is it?" "Peter just left the precinct. With Averie." "What?" he asks upset, "He said the prisoner had to be transfered, and he just took her. Dispatch has been calling but he won't answer the radio." "Radio? He took a county vehicle?" "Yeah." "Well, then they should have a lo-jack, you've just gotta get it turned on."

~CLEARING~

The armored van pulls off the road and stops. Averie smirks "Pee break? So soon? You might want to get your prostate checked." Peter gets out and circles around the to the back, "Son of a bitch." she whispers, he opens the back "Hey, I'm cool in the van, you go do what you gotta do." He gets in and pulls her out, making her kneel on the ground, "You're a cocky son of a bitch. You think those people in St. Louis are gonna buy that crap you're peddling? Here's the thing. You're not gonna make it to St. Louis. You're gonna die trying to escape." he says pulling his gun out and points it at her head "Wait! Wait. Let's, let's talk about this. I mean, you don't want to do something that you're gonna regret later." he cocks the gun "Or maybe you do." 

Diana and Andrew run over, "Pete! Put the gun down." Diana yells. "Diana? How'd you find me?" "I know about Claire." "I don't know what you're talking about." she pulls her own gun out, "Put the gun down!" "Oh, I don't think so. You're fast. I'm pretty sure I'm faster." "Why are you doing this?" "I didn't do anything, Diana." she looks at him "It's a little late for that." "It wasn't my fault. Claire was trying to turn me in, I had no choice." "And Tony? Karen?" "Same thing! Tony scrubbed the money, he got skittish, and then he wanted to come clean. I'm sure he told Karen everything." 

Averie glances at Andrew, who's giving her "How do we get out of this" looks. Averie shakes her head, Andrew grits his teeth. "It was a mess; I had to clean it up. I just panicked." "How many more people are gonna die over this, Pete?" "There's a way out. This Averie kid's a friggin' gift. We could pin the whole thing on her. Right? No trial, nothing. Just, just one more dead scumbag." "Hey!" Averie yells at him, Peter points the gun at her again, she backs off. "No one will question it. Diana, please. I still love you." Diana lowers her gun, "Thank you. Thank you." he whispers.

As he turns back to Averie, Diana brings her gun up and fires, hitting Peter in the stomach. He goes down; Averie rolls out of the way, "Then why don't you buy me another necklace, you ass?" she says. He tackles her legs, knocking her down; she loses her gun and Andrew tries to go for it, but Peter gets there first "Don't do it! Don't do it!" Diana stares past Peter, who turns to see Claire behind him, staring through her bloody hair. She smiles, a gunshot goes off: Diana has recovered her weapon and shot Peter in the back. He goes down, dead.

-MORNING-

Diana is kneeling by the body of her late partner. She gets up and approaches Andrew and Averie, standing nearby. "You doin all right?" Andrew asks, "Not really. The death omen Claire. What happens to her now?" "Should be over. She should be at rest." Averie sighs "So, uh. What now, officer?" "Pete did confess to me. He screwed up both your cases royally. I'd say that there's a good chance that we could get your cases dismissed." "You'd take care of that for us?" "I hope so. But the St. Louis murder charges? That's another story. I can't help you. Unless... I just happened to turn my back, and you walked away. I could just tell them that the suspects escaped." Andrew looks shocked "Wait, are you sure?" "I think she's sure, Andrew." Averie says.

"No, it's just, I mean, you could lose your job over something like that." Andrew says, "Look, I just want you two out there doing what you do best. Trust me, I'll sleep better at night. Listen, you need to watch your back. They're gonna be looking for both of you right now. Get out of here. I gotta radio this in." "Hey, uh, you wouldn't happen to know where my car is, by chance?" Averie asks, "It's at the impound yard down on Robertson. Don't... even think about it." "it's okay, it's all right, don't worry. We'll, uh, we'll just improvise. I mean, we're pretty good at that." "Yeah. I've noticed." Andrew and Averie walk down the road, "Nice lady." he says "Yeah, for a cop. Did she look familiar to you?" "No, why?" she stays silent, he shoves her laughing "Why?" "I don't know. Anyway, are you hungry?" "Yeah.." "For some reason I could really go for some pea soup."


	8. Crossroad Blues

~SALOON. GREENWOOD, MISSISSIPPI, 1938. NIGHT~

Robert Johnson is seated on a small stage, playing. His head is down, and a cigarette dangles from his mouth. The room is sparsely populated with people listening intently. One woman near the front stares at him, smiling as if the show is just for her, and occasionally he looks up and catches her eye.  
  
He hears the growling of a dog, outside. He pauses, then resumes. Again, he stops, hearing eerie barking that nobody else seems to notice, and seeing a dark shape flitting past the window. The cigarette falls from his mouth; he is terrified. He stands, clutching his guitar, and bolts from the room in terror. The woman and several others follow.

~HOUSE~

Robert runs into a wooden house and bolts the door behind him. He hears the scrabbling and barking of the dog and draws a chair across the floor, wedging it under the door. He backs up slowly, then sinks to his knees, weeping. The door rattles violently until it flies open; two men and the woman from earlier enter to find him on the floor, convulsing "Oh my God!" she runs over to him. "Get a doctor. Run!" the man runs, she leans over Robert, "What happened? Talk to me!" "Dogs.." "Stay with us, baby!" "Dogs... Black dogs..." "Robert? Robert, don't you die on me!"

~DINER. PRESENT DAY (November 5, 2006). DAY~

Andrew and Averie are sitting at a table, Andrew has his laptop open. Onscreen is a mugshot of Averie from the St. Louis Police Department, "So much for our low profile. You've got a warrant in St. Louis, and now you're officially in the Fed's database." she grins "Dude, I'm like Dillinger or something." "Av, it's not funny. Makes the job harder, we've gotta be more careful now." "Well, what do they got on you?" "I'm sure they just haven't posted it yet." "No accessory? Nothing?" she asks impressed. "Shut up." "You're jealous." "No, I'm not!" "Uh-huh. All right. What do you got on the case there, you innocent, harmless young man, you?"

Andrew shuts his computer, annoyed, and pulls out several pages of research. "Architect Sean Boyden plummeted to his death from the roof of his home, a condominium he designed." "Hmm. Build a high-rise and jump off the top of it. That's classy. When did he call animal control?" "Two days earlier." "Did he actually say Black Dog?" "Yeah. A vicious, wild, black dog. The authorities couldn't find it, no one else saw it; in fact, the authorities are a little confused as to how a wild dog could get past the doorman, take the elevator up and start roaming the halls of the cushiest joint in town. After that, no more calls, he doesn't show up for work, two days later he takes a swan dive."

Averie looks scared "Do you think we're dealing with an actual Black Dog?" "Well maybe." he says, "What's the lore on it?" he hands her some papers "it's all pretty vague. I mean, there are spectral black dogs all over the world, but... some say they're animal spirits, others say death omens. But anyways, whatever they are, they're big, nasty-" "Yeah, I bet they could hump the crap outta your leg, look at that one, huh?" she holds up a picture and smiles, he glares, her smile turns into a frown "What? They could."

~APARTMENT~

In a posh, well-lit room, Andrew and Averie are wearing suits and interviewing a man. "So, you and Sean Boyden were business partners for almost ten years, right?" Andrew asks, "That's right. Now one more time, this is for...?" "A tribute to Mr. Boyden. Architectural Digest." the man laughs, "Is this funny to you?" Averie asks. "No, it... it's just, a tribute. Yeah. See, Sean always got the tributes. He kills himself, leaves me and his family behind... well, he gets another tribute." "Right. Any idea why he'd do such a thing?" "I, I have no clue, I mean he lived a charmed life." "How so?" "He was a flat-out genius. I mean, I'm capable, but next to him, I... and it wasn't always that way, either." 

"No?" Averie says confused, "You wanna know the truth? There was a time where he couldn't even design a pup tent. Hell, ten years ago he's working as a bartender at this place called Lloyds. A complete dive." "Right. So what changed?" "You got me. But overnight, he gets this huge commission, and he starts designing... he starts designing the most ingenious buildings anyone has ever seen. It was like, the level of Van Gogh, and Mozart..." he stops himself, "What?" "It's funny. True geniuses, they seem to die young, don't they? To have that kind of talent? Why... why just throw it away?"

~STREET~

Averie exits a building, Animal Protection Agency, still wearing the suit. Andrew is waiting in the car, she gets in the driver's side. "So?" "Secretary's name is Carly. She's twenty three, she, uh, kayaks, and they're real." she says smirking, he sighs "You didn't happen to ask her if she's seen any black dogs lately, did you?" She holds up a paper "Every complaint called in this week about anything big, black, or dog-like. There's nineteen calls in all. And, uh,"she pulls a sticky note off "I don't know what this thing is." Andrew takes it, reads, and laughs. Averie looks at him confused, he looks at her "You mean Carly's MySpace address?" "Yeah, MySpace, what the hell is that?" he laughs again, "Seriously, is that like some sort of porn site?"

~DR. PEARLMAN'S HOUSE~

Averie and Andrew approach (yet another) white suburban door and knock. Averie sighs "I swear, if this is another freakin' Pomeranian barking in the neighbor's yard..." a young woman opens the door, she smiles and pulls out her fake I.D "Afternoon, ma'am. Animal Control." "Oh, someone already came yesterday." Andrew nods "We're just following up. We're looking for Dr. Sylvia Pearlman?" The woman leads them in "The Doctor, well, she, I don't know exactly when she'll be back, she left two days ago." Andrew looks at her "Okay. And you are...?" "I'm Ms. Pearlman's maid." "Where did the doctor go?" "I'm not sure. She just packed and went, she didn't say where. That stray dog, did you find it finally?" "Oh, not yet. You know, you didn't ever happen to see the dog yourself, did you?" "Well, no. I never even heard it." 

Averie takes a photograph off the wall: it shows Dr. Pearlman at a bar with two friends. "I was almost starting to think the Doctor was imagining things, but she's not like that, so-" Averie turns around "Hey, you know I read she was, uh chief surgeon at the hospital. She's gotta be what, forty two, forty three? That's pretty young for that job." "Youngest in the history of the place. She got the position... ten years ago?" "Huh.." Andrew looks at Averie "Huh. An overnight success. Ten years ago." "Yeah, we know a guy like that. Oh, look at this." she holds up the photo, flips it over to show writing on the back "Lloyd's Bar."

~DR. PEARLMAN'S MOTEL ROOM~

In a rumpled hotel room with red curtains and sheets, Dr. Pearlman huddles on the bed. Her hair is frazzled and she is terrified, flinching at the slightest noise and hugging her arms around herself. She stands, pacing "Oh, god." She hears a loud pounding at the door. She whirls to face it, frozen, "Ms. Pearlman? I've been calling for hours. You need to vacate the room or you gotta pay for another night!" She opens the door and pokes her head out "Okay, no problem." She goes to the bed and opens her wallet, pulling out some cash. As she turns back to the door, she sees the man's face stretch hideously, mouth opening wide and eyes rolling back in his head. She gasps, tosses the money down at his feet, shuts the door and chains it. She leans against it, panting.

~LLOYD'S BAR~

They pull up outside Lloyd's Bar and get out. As they walk towards the bar, Averie notices some yellow flowers growing by the side of the road, she stops. "Hey Andrew." "Yeah?" "That's weird." Lloyd's Bar is at a crossroads, at each corner the yellow flowers are growing "What?" "Think someone planted these?" He walks over to her and looks "Middle of all these weeds?" "These are, uh, what do you call 'em." "Yarrow flowers?" "Yeah. Used for certain rituals, aren't they?" "Yeah, actually. Summoning rituals." Averie smiles "Heh. So, two people become sudden successes about ten years ago. Right around the time they were hanging out here at Lloyd's." "Where there just happens to be a crossroads. You think?" "Let's find out." She walks to the center of the crossroads and looks around, measuring. "This seem about the dead center to you?" Andrew nods, she digs a few inches into the hard soil and hits something solid. "Yahtzee." 

She drops the shovel and digs with her hands, pulling out an old rusted box. Andrew walks over and kneels next to her. It contains, among other things, several small bones and a small stoppered jar that Andrew takes out. "I'd be willing to bet that's graveyard dirt. And a black cat bone." "That's serious spellwork. I mean, that's Deep South Hoodoo stuff." "Used to summon a demon." "Not just summon one. Crossroads are where pacts are made. These people are actually making deals with the damn thing. You know, 'cause that always ends good." he thinks for a moment "They're seeing dogs, all right. But not Black Dogs, they're seeing . Demonic pit bulls." Averie nods, "Yeah, whoever this demon is, it's back and it's collecting. And that doctor lady? Wherever she's running? She ain't running fast enough."

~DR. PEARLMAN'S MOTEL ROOM. NIGHT~

The door is rattling violently. She crouches by the window, screaming. The rattling stops and she gets up warily. Suddenly something invisible bursts through the window, knocking her to the ground. She scrabbles backwards along the floor, away from the scratching and growling; something (still invisible) with sharp claws grabs her leg and shreds it, leaving bloody trails. She's pulled across the floor, grasping at the bed sheets and screaming.

~CROSSROADS, 1930.~

Robert Johnson kneels in the dust at the dead center of the crossroads. He buries a rough sack tied with a string. He wears a hat and a brown blazer and has a guitar slung around his back. Suddenly behind him is a beautiful young woman in a white dress; he turns and sees her. "Holy..." he says, "Holy?" her eyes flash red "Guess again." She walks slowly towards him on bare feet "I want to play guitar. I want you to make me the best blues man ever lived." She places her hand on the side of his face "If that's what you want." he nods, she smiles "So... how do we... do we shake on it?" She shakes her head, still smiling, and pulls him in for a deep kiss. When she pulls back, his eyes are closed for a moment. He opens them slowly, and he is alone. He pulls his guitar into his hands and caresses it.

~CROSSROADS, PRESENT DAY (November 6, 2006). DAY~

Andrew looks confused "So it's just like the Robert Johnson legend, right? I mean, selling your soul at the crossroads, kind of deal?" Averie nods, "Yeah, except that wasn't a legend. I mean, you know his music." he shakes his head "You don't know Robert Johnson's songs? Andrew, there's, there's occult references all over his lyrics, I mean, Crossroad Blues? Me and the Devil Blues? Hellhound on My Trail?" he looks at her, she rolls her eyes "The story goes, he died choking on his own blood, he was hallucinating, and muttering about big evil dogs." "And now it's happening all over again?" "Yeah." 

Andrew nods "We've gotta figure out if anyone else struck any bargains around here." "Great. So we've gotta clean up these peoples' mess for 'em? I mean, they're not exactly squeaky clean. Nobody put a gun to their head and forced 'em to play Let's Make A Deal." He sighs "So what, we should just leave them to die?" "Somebody goes over Niagara in a barrel, you gonna jump in and try to save 'em?" "Averie." "All right. Fine. Rituals like this, you've got to put your own photo into the mix, right? So this guy probably summoned this thing, let's go and see if anyone inside knows him. If he's still alive."

~DARROW HOME~

Andrew and Averie walk up a set of wide, wooden stairs to the fourth floor of an apartment building. "What's this guy's name again?" he asks, "George Darrow. Apparently quite the regular at Lloyd's. Though this house probably ain't up next on MTV Cribs, is it?" "Yeah. So whatever kind of deal he made-" "Wasn't for cash. Oh, who knows. Maybe this place is full of babes in Princess Leia bikinis." she says smiling, he rolls his eyes, "No, I'm just saying, this guy's got one epic bill come due. Hope at least he asked for something fun." 

They reach the landing and stop in front of apartment 4C. The floor is dusted with a fine black powder, Andrew looks down "Look at that." they crouch down and touch it, "What is that, pepper?" The door opens to reveal George - a middle-aged man with graying hair, wearing a grimy t-shirt and open button-down. "Who the hell are you?" "George Darrow?" Averie asks, "I'm not buying anything." he goes to shut the door, she stops him "Whoa, whoa, whoa, looks like you went for the wrong shaker there. Heh. Usually when you want to keep something evil out you go for the salt." "I don't know what you talkin' about." "Talkin' bout this." she holds out the picture of him, Dr. Pearlman, and some guy. "Tell me. You seen that Hellhound yet?" Andrew sighs and looks at him "Look. We want to help. Please. Just five minutes."

~GEORGE'S APARTMENT~

George shows them in and pours himself a glass of whisky. The studio apartment is filled with paintings, completed and half-finished, and a table holds painting supplies. "So what is that stuff out front?" Andrew asks, "Goofer dust." they look at him confused, "What, you two think you know somethin' about somethin' but not Goofer dust?" He tosses Averie a brown sack, tied close with twine. She catches it, "Well, we know a little about a lot of things. Just enough to make us dangerous." Andrew glares at her and turns to George "What is it?" "Hoodoo. My grandma taught me. Keeps out demons." 

"Demons we know." she says, "Well, then. Maybe it'll do you some good." he walks over and sits on a chair "Four minutes left." Averie glances at Andrew, who takes the lead, "Mr. Darrow. We know you're in trouble." she nods, "Yeah, that you got yourself into." "But it's not hopeless, all right? There's gotta be something we can do." Andrew says half-directed at Averie. George frowns "Listen. I get that you want to help. But sometimes a person makes their bed, they've just got to lie down in it. I'm the one called that demon in the first place." "What'd you do it for?" "I was weak. I mean, who don't want to be great? Who don't want their life to mean something? I just... I just never thought about the price."

Averie sighs "Was it worth it?" "Hell no. 'Course, I asked for talent. Shoulda gone for fame. I'm still broke, and lonely. Just now I got this pile of paintings don't nobody want. But that wasn't the worst." "Go on." "Demon didn't leave. I never counted on that. After our deal was done the damn thing stayed at Lloyd's for a week. Just chattin'. Makin' more deals. I tried to warn folks, but, I mean who's goin' to listen to an old drunk?" Andrew looks at him "How many others are there?" "Uh, the architect, that doctor lady — I kept up with them, they've been in the papers. Least they got famous." "Who else, George? Come on, think." "One more. Uh, nice guy too. Hudson. Evan, I think. I don't know what he asked for. Don't matter now. We done for."

Andrew frowns "No. No, there's gotta be a way." George looks at him upset "You don't get it! I don't want a way!" "Look, you don't-" "I called that thing! I brought it on myself. I brought it on them. I'm going to hell, one way or another. All I want is to finish my last painting. Day or two, I'm done. I'm just trying to hold them off 'till then. Time you went, go help somebody that wants help." "We can't just —" "Get out! I got work to do." "You don't really want to die." "I do, now go." George watches them leave.

~HUDSON'S HOUSE. NIGHT~

Evan Hudson is working at his computer when he hears a familiar loud barking outside his window. He stands and pulls back the curtain, peering out. His wife Julie walks in, "Evan? You spying on the neighbors?" "No, I uh, I thought i heard something in the yard, but it's nothing. You all ready to go?" She nods "You know, if I didn't know better I'd say you want me out of the house." "Of course not. It's just, you, you've barely seen your sister since she had the baby." "Well, what are you going to do all weekend?" "Um, not much, I got some bills to pay." he turns and looks at her sadly, crosses the room to take her in his arms. 

"I'll miss you." she smiles "You better." "You know I love you, right? Forever." "Of course — Sweetie, are you okay?" "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Now get going." he kisses her. "Okay, I'll call you when I get there." she goes to the door, stops and turns back "Sweetie?" Suddenly her face twists horribly, her skin going gray and cracked, eyes white. Evan recoils; she returns to normal "I love you too."

-

Averie and Andrew approach Evan's front door and knock. A moment later, Evan opens the door "Yes?" Andrew looks at him "Evan Hudson?" Averie sighs "You ever been to a bar called Lloyd's? Would have been about ten years ago." Terrified, Evan slams the door and latches it, "Come on, we're not demons!" Andrew turns to her "Any other bright ideas?" Averie steps back, sets herself, then kicks the door down in one go. They enter and walk the back room Evan has just entered, Averie prepares to kick down that door too. Andrew catches her leg, stopping her, "What —" 

He looks at her and opens the door, the room is quiet and empty, "Evan?" "Please! Don't hurt me." "We're not going to hurt you, all right? We're here to help you." Averie glares at Evan "We know all about the genius deal you made." "What? How?" "Doesn't matter. All that matters is, we're trying to stop it." Andrew says, "How do I know you're not lying?" she sighs "Well, you don't, but you're kinda running low on options there, buddy-boy." 

Evan starts pacing, "Can you stop it?" Andrew frowns "Don't know. We'll try." "I don't want to die." Averie chuckles "Of course you don't, not now." Andrew looks at her "Averie. Stop." "What'd you ask for anyway, Evan? Huh? Never need Viagra? Bowl a perfect game? What?" he nibbles his lip "My wife." "Right. Gettin' the girl. Well, that's worth a trip to hell for." "Averie." Andrew says. "No. She's right, I made the deal. Nobody twisted my arm, that... woman, or whatever she was, at the bar? She said I could have anything I wanted. I thought she was nuts at first, but... I don't know how to— I was desperate." 

"Desperate?" he looks at the ground, "Julie was dying." "You did it to save her?" "She had cancer, they'd stopped treatment, they were moving her into hospice, they kept saying... a matter of days. So yeah, I made the deal. And I'd do it again. I'd have died for her on the spot." "Did you ever think about her in all this?" "I did this for her." she steps toward him "You sure about that? I think you did it for yourself. So you wouldn't have to live without her. But guess what? She's going to have to live without you now. But what if she knew how much it cost? What if she knew it cost your soul? How do you think she'd feel?"

Andrew puts a hand on her shoulder and pushes her into the hall, "Okay, that's enough. You just sit tight, all right? We're going to figure this out." he walks out into the hall with her. "You all right?" "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? Hey, I got an idea." she pulls out the bag of Goofer dust, "You throw George's hoodoo at that Hellhound, keep it away from Evan as long as you can. I'm gonna go to the crossroads and summon the demon." "Summon— are you nuts?" "Maybe a little. But I can trap it. I can exorcise it, and I can buy us time to figure out something more permanent." "Yeah, but how much time?" "I don't know, a while. I mean, it's not easy for those suckers to claw their way back from hell and into the sunshine."

Andrew looks at Averie "No. No way." "You're not allowed to say no, Andy, not unless you've got a better idea." "Av, you can forget it, all right? I'm not letting you summon that demon." "Why not?" "Because I don't like where your head is at right now, that's why not." "What are you talking about?" "You know, you've been on edge ever since we found that crossroads, and I think I know why." "We don't have time for this." she says brushing past him. "Dad." she turns at look at him, "You think maybe Dad made one of these deals, huh? Hell. I've been thinking it. I'm sure you've been thinking it too."

Averie frowns, "It fits, doesn't it? I'm alive, Dad's dead. The yellow-eyed demon was involved. What if he did? What if he struck a deal? My life for his soul?" from inside the room Evan yells "I think I hear it! It's outside!" "Just keep him alive, okay?" "Aver-" "Go!"

~CROSSROADS~

Averie places a photo of herself in George's box of Hoodoo Magic. She buries dead center at the crossroads, scraping the dirt over it with her hands. As she stands, a beautiful young woman in a black dress appears behind him. "So. What brings a girl like you to a place like this?" she turns and looks at the Demon, "You called me?" "I'm just glad it worked." "First time?" "You could say that." "Oh, come on now. Don't sell yourself short. I know all about you, Averie Walker." her eyes flash red for a moment. "So, you know who I am." "I get the newsletter." "Well, don't keep me in suspense. What have you heard?" "Well, I heard you were hot, but ... you're just edible. What can I do for you, Averie?" "Maybe we should do this in my car. Nice and private." "Sounds good to me."

~EVAN'S HOUSE~

Andrew is sprinkling the dust in a line before the windows, then starts making a circle of it around Evan, who stands in the middle of the room. "What is that stuff?" "Goofer Dust." "You serious?" "Yeah. 'Fraid so. Look. Believe me, don't believe me, whatever you want. Just whatever you do, stay inside the circle, all right?" Evan nods

~CROSSROADS~

Averie and the demon walk over to the Impala "So I was hoping we could strike a deal." "That's what I do." "I want Evan Hudson released from his contract." "Hmm. So sorry, darling. That's not negotiable." "I'll make it worth your while." the demon chuckles "Oh _really_? What are you offering?" "Me." "Well, well, well. You'd sacrifice your life for someone else's. Like father, like daughter." Averie glares at her, "You did know about your dad's deal, right? His life for yours? Oh, I didn't make the deal myself, but... boy, I wish I had." Averie grits her teeth and opens the passanger door "After you." "Such a nice woman." As she starts to get into the car, she looks down and sees the edge of a symbol extending from below the car "A Devil's Trap? Seriously?"

~EVAN'S HOUSE~

Evan whirls around at an unheard sound, "What?" Andrew asks, "You hear that?" "No, where?" He hears the demonic growling, the door starts rattling, Andrew steps into the circle "Just don't move, all right? Stay where you are." Evan nods, "I'm going to die, aren't I?" "Not on my watch."

~CROSSROADS~

"You stupid, stupid... I should rip you limb from limb!" she slams the car door shut and advances on Averie, who backs up towards a wooden structure. "Take your best shot." Averie says more pleading than defiant, "No. I don't think so. I'm not going to put you out of your misery." "Yeah? Why not?" "Because your misery's the whole point. It's too much fun to watch. Knowing how your daddy died for you, how he sold his soul. I mean, that's gotta hurt." 

She backs up against a rail, "It's all you ever think about. You wake up and your first thought is, "I can't do this anymore." You're all lit up with pain. I mean, you loved him so much. And it's all your fault. You blew it, Averie! I could have given you what you need." "Oh yeah, what do I need?" "Your father. I could have brought him back. Your loss. Seeya, Averie. I wish you a nice long life." "No! Hold on." 

~EVAN'S HOUSE~

The rattling becomes louder, more violent, then stops suddenly. "Do you still hear it?" "No, is it over?" A rumbling sound comes from a grating by the wall. They both whirl to stare at it; it bursts outward, kicking dust into the room. "It's here!" Evan yells.

~CROSSROADS~

The demon stops and turns back; Averie is standing beneath the wooden structure, head down. "You're lucky I've got a soft spot for lost puppies and long faces. I just can't leave you like this. Besides. You didn't call me here to bargain for Evan. Not really." "Can you bring him back? My dad?" "Of course I can. Just as he was. Your dad would live a long and natural life, like he was meant to. That's a promise." "What about me?" "I could give you ten years. Ten long good years with him. That's a lifetime. The family can be together again. Ethan, Averie, Andy. The Walkers all reunited."

She walks towards Averie "Look. Your dad's supposed to be alive. You're supposed to be dead. So we'll just set things straight, put things back in their natural order. And you get ten extra years on top. That's a bonus." Averie looks at her and frowns "You think you could..." she smiles "throw in a set of steak knives?" "You know, this smart-ass self-defense mechanism of yours..." She stops, thinking, and looks up. Above her head, on the ceiling of the wooden structure, is a Devil's Trap. She glares at Averie "Averie!" "Now you're really trapped. That's gotta hurt." "Let me out. Now." "Sure. We just gotta make a little deal here first. You call off your Hellhounds and let Evan go. Then I'll let you go."

"I can't break a binding contract." the demon says, "Hmm. And by "can't" you mean "don't want to"? Last chance. Evan and his wife get to live to a ripe old age. Going, going..." "Come on let's talk about this." "Okay, gone." Averie starts circling around her, pulling out Ethan's journal.

~EVAN'S HOUSE~

The barking is growing louder and closer; invisible Hellhounds surround Andrew and Evan. "No! Back inside the circle!" Andrew yells as Evan tries to leave, deep claw marks are gouged into the floor in a path towards the circle; they stop just before the edge.

~CROSSROADS~

Averie has opened the Journal; she holds a rosary in one hand. "What are you doing?" the demon asks, "Oh, you're just gonna go on a little trip. Way down South." "Forget Evan. Think of your dad." "Regna terrae, cantate Deo..." Averie continues the exorcism, circling the demon, who begins to flinch and convulse.

~EVAN'S HOUSE~

Andrew and Evan start backing away slowly, wind starting to eat away at their protective circle. "Circle's broken. Come on!" Andrew yells, he pulls Evan out of the room and down the hall. They dart into a storeroom and slam the door behind them. Andrew braces himself against it and the Hellhounds start to pound it down. The violent pounding stops; everything goes quiet. Andrew and Evan look around, panting.

~CROSSROADS~

Averie and the demon are locked in a passionate kiss. She breaks it; Averie steps back and blinks "What the hell was that for?" "Sealing the deal." "I usually like to be warned before I'm violated with demon tongue." the demon looks at her "Evan Hudson is free. He and his wife will live long lives." "How do I know you're not lying?" "My word is my bond." "Oh, _really_?" "It is when I make a deal. It's the rules. You got what you wanted. Now let me go." Averie steps back, glancing up at the Devil's Trap. She fingers the rosary, "You're gonna double-cross me? Funny how I'm the trustworthy one." she shrugs, the demon glares at her "You know, you renege? Send me to hell? Sooner or later I'm gonna climb out, and skinning Evan Hudson will be the first thing that I do."

Averie smiles, stashing the rosary away. She climbs up and breaks the protective circle above the demon's head, she steps out. "I gotta tell you. You would have never pulled that stunt if you knew." "Knew what?" "Where your dad is. You should have made that deal. See, people talk about hell, but it's just a word. It doesn't even come close to describing the real thing." "Shut your mouth, bitch." "If you could see your poor daddy? Hear the sounds he makes 'cause he can't even scream?" Averie steps towards the demon, "How about I send you back there?" The demon throws her head back; black ichor pours out of her mouth as she screams. Averie backs up until he's against the wooden structure again. The demon is gone, and the girl who had hosted it slumps to the ground, confused "Wha..how'd I get here?"

~ROAD. LATER~

Averie is driving down a dark road as Andrew broods beside her. "Demons lie all the time, right? Maybe she was lying." he says, "Come on. That really what you think?" he looks down "How could he do it?" "He did it for you." "Exactly. How am I supposed to live with that? You know, the thought of him... wherever he is right now. I mean, he spent his whole life chasing that... yellow-eyed son of a bitch. He should have gone out fighting. That was supposed to be his legacy. You know? Not bargaining with the damn thing. Not this." He looks up at her, frowning, "How many people do you think Dad saved? Total?" "That's not the point, Andrew." "Evan Hudson is safe because of what Dad taught us. That's his legacy, Av. But we're still here. So we gotta keep going, for him."

She stays silent "Av?" "Yeah." "When you were trapping that demon, you weren't... I mean, it was all a trick, right? You never considered actually making that deal, right?" Averie stares straight ahead, then glances out the window. She reaches forward and turns the radio on full blast and doesn't say a word. 


	9. Croatoan

~CLINIC. NIGHT~

Averie stands in a dim hallway, grimly turning towards a door and pulling out a gun. She slides out the clip, taps it on the butt, then replaces it. Inside the room, there is a Crater Lake poster on the wall. Below it is a young blond man, Duane, tied to a chair. Nearby are a young woman, Pam, a middle-aged woman, Dr. Lee, and a tough-looking man, Mark. Duane looks up as Averie opens the door and enters, raising the gun. "No, no, no, no, no, you're not gonna... no, I swear! It's not in me!" Pam starts freaking out "Oh God. We're all gonna die." Mark looks at Averie "Maybe he's tellin' the truth." "He's not him, not anymore." 

"No, stop it! Stop it! Ask her, ask the doctor! It's not in me!" Duane shrieks, "I just . . . I can't tell." Dr. Lee says, "No, please, don't. Don't. I swear, I-" Averie frowns "I got no choice." he starts sobbing "I swear, it's not in me, it's not in me! Don't, don't. Please!" Averie raises her gun and shoots.

~MOTEL ROOM~

Andrew is lying on the floor beside a motel bed and coming out of a vision. The door opens and Averie walks in, chewing on jerky and carrying a six-pack of beer. He sits up, panting, "Andrew?" "No..." he whines. She kneels next to him, "Andy, what's wrong?" "Something's wrong, another vision." he groans.

~ROAD~

Averie is driving, Andrew navigating with a GPS device which speaks directions. "There are only two towns in the US named Rivergrove." he says, "How come you're so sure it's the one in Oregon?" "There was a picture. Crater Lake." "Okay, what else?" "I saw a dark room, some people, and a guy tied to a chair." "And I ventilated him?" He nods "Yeah. You thought there was something inside him." "What, a demon? Was he possessed?" "I don't know." "Well, all your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow . . . so was there any black smoke? Did we try to exorcise it?"

He shakes his head "No. Nothing, you just plugged him, that's it." she frowns, "Well, I'm sure I had a good reason." "Yeah, I sure hope so." "What's that supposed to mean? I mean, I'm not gonna waste an innocent man." he looks at her, she looks annoyed "I wouldn't!" "I never said you would!" "Fine!" "Fine! Look, we don't know what it is. But whatever it is, that guy in the chair's a part of it. So let's find him, and see what's what." "Okay." "Okay."

~RIVERGROVE STREET. DAY~

The Walkers pull into town past a large billboard advertising Crater Lake. They pull up in front of a wooden shop; out front the older man from the vision, Mark, is cleaning a rifle; he wears a short-sleeved blue shirt with a multi-pocket brown vest. Andrew and Averie get out and approach him, "Morning." Averie says, he looks up "Good morning, can I help you?" "Yeah, uh." they pull out badges "Samantha Gibbons, Dean Beard. U.S. Marshals." "What's this about?" "We're looking for someone." Andrew looks at Mark "A young man, early twenties. He'd have a, a thin scar right below his hairline."

"What'd he do?" "Well, nothing. We're actually looking for someone else, but we think this young man could help us." Averie nods "Yeah, he's not in any kind of trouble or anything; well, not yet." she looks down at his arm and sees a distinctive tattoo "I think maybe you know who he is . . . Master Sergeant." he looks at her confused "My dad was in the Corps, he was a Corporal." "What company?" "Echo 2-1. So can you help us?" "Duane Tanner's got a scar like that. But I know him. Good kid, keeps his nose clean." "Oh, I'm sure he does. Um. You know where he lives?" "With his family, up Aspen Way." "Thank you."

They leave; Mark frowns as he watches them go. Across the street, Andrew bumps into a telephone pole and glances at it in passing. He stops; carved into the wood is a single word:

_Croatoan_

Averie walks over, he points at the word "Croatoan?" she asks, "Yeah." she stares at him blankly. "Roanoke? Lost colony? Ring a bell? Av, did you pay any attention in history class?" "Yeah! Shots heard 'round the world, How bills becomes laws . . ." "That's not school, that's Schoolhouse Rock." "Whatever." "Roanoke was one of the first English colonies in America, late 1500s?" "Oh yeah, yeah, I do remember that. The only thing they left behind was a single word carved in a tree. Croatoan." "Yeah. And I mean, there were theories — Indian raid, disease, but nobody knows what really happened. They were all just gone. I mean, wiped out overnight."

Averie chuckles "You don't think that's what's going on here, I mean-" "Whatever I saw in my head, it sure wasn't good. But what do you think could do that?" "Well, I mean, like I said, all of your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow." "We should get help. Dean, uh, Natalie maybe?" "Yeah, that's a good idea." Averie pulls out her cellphone and frowns "I don't have a signal." Andrew looks at his phone "I don't either." They walk to a pay phone, which Averie picks up; she hears the "out of service" beeping, and clicks the receiver several times. "Line's dead." she hangs up "I'll tell you one thing. If I was gonna massacre a town, that'd be my first step."

~TANNER HOUSE~

The Impala is parked outside a cabin--like house in the middle of nowhere, and Andrew and Averie approach the front. By the door is a small, tacky plaque that reads "Born to fish; fored to work". Andrew knocks on the door, and a teenage boy with dark spiked hair, Jake, opens it. "Yeah?" they flash their badges, "We're looking for Duane Tanner; he lives here, right?" Averie asks. "Yeah, he's my brother." "Can we talk to him?" "Oh, he's not here right now." "Do you know where he is?" "Yeah, he went on a fishing trip up by Roslyn Lake." Andrew sighs "Are your parents home?" "Yeah." 

Mr. Tanner walks up behind Jake "Jake, who is it?" Averie looks up "U.S Marshalls, sir, we're looking for your son Duane." "Wh-why? He's not in trouble, is he?" "No, no, no, no. We just need to ask him a couple of routine questions, that's all." Andrew clears his throat "When's he due back from his trip?" "I'm not sure." "Well, maybe your wife knows?" "No, I don't know, she's not here right now." Averie looks confused, "Your son said she was." Jake tilts his head "Did I?" "She's getting groceries. So, when Duane gets back, there's a number where he can get a hold of you?" "Oh no, we'll just check in with you later."

They turn and walk down the steps as the Tanners shut the door behind them, "That was kind of creepy, right? A little too Stepford?" she asks, "Big time." Looking furtively about, they sneak around to the back of the house, crouching below a window. 

-

Beverly Tanner is tied to a chair and gagged; Jake comes around behind her, hands on her shoulders. "It's okay, Mom. It's not gonna hurt." Mr. Tanner comes out of the next room with a kitchen knife. Jake stands in front of his mother and casually rolls up one sleeve; his father cuts into his arm and lets the blood drip onto a wound in Beverly's shoulder. Andrew and Averie arm themselves and kick down the back door. As they rush in, handguns raised, Mr. Tanner rushes at them with a knife; Averie shoots him thrice in the chest. Jake jumps out the window, shattering glass, and darts off into the woods. Andrew aims at him through the window but hesitates, giving him time to get away.

~CLINIC~

Andrew leads Beverly inside; the clinic is quiet, dim, and empty. "Hello? Hello? We need a doctor here!" The young woman from the vision, Pam, rushes out, concerned "Mrs. Tanner, what happened?" "She's been attacked." "Dr. Lee!" Pam calls, Dr. Lee looks out "Bring her in." "Okay." Pam leads them into a back room, Dr. Lee follows. Averie enters, carrying the (canvas-covered) body of Mr. Tanner hoisted over her shoulders. "Is that-" "Mr. Tanner? Yes." "Was he attacked too?" "Uh . . . no, actually, he did the attacking and then he got himself shot." "S-Shot?" "Yeah." "And who are you?" "U.S. Marshal. I'd show you my badge, but uh . . ." "Oh. Sorry. Bring him back here."

~LAB~

Beverly is seated on a stool with her shirt off; Dr. Lee sits across from her, treating the wound on her left shoulder. "Wait, you said Jake helped him? Your son Jake?" "They beat me. Tied me up." Pam shakes her head "I don't believe it." Dr. Lee looks over at her " _Pam_. Beverly . . . do you have any idea why they would act this way? Any history of chemical dependency?" "No, of course not. I don't know why. One minute they were my husband and my son. And the next, they had the devil in them." Andrew and Averie are listening to this, and they share a look at her last words.

Averie grabs his arm "We gotta talk." they leave the lab, "Those guys were whacked out of their gourds." Andrew nods "What do you think? Multiple demons, mass possession?" "If it is a possession there could be more. I mean, God knows how many, it could be like a friggin' Shriner convention." " _Great_." "Of course, that's one way to wipe out a town, you take it from the inside." "I don't know, Av. We didn't see any of the demon smoke with Mr. Tanner, or any of the other usual signs." She sighs "Well, whatever. Something turned him into a monster. And you know if _you_ woulda taken out the other one there'd be one less to worry about."

He looks at her upset "I'm sorry, all right? I hesitated, Averie, it was a kid!" "No, it was an "it". Not the best time for a bleeding heart, Andrew." Dr. Lee stalks out of the lab, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. "How's the patient?" Andrew asks, "Terrible! What the hell happened out there?" Averie looks at her "We don't know." "Yeah? Well, you just killed my next door neighbor." "We didn't have a choice." "Maybe so, but we need the county Sheriff. I need the coroner . . ." "Phones are down." "I know, I tried. Tell me you have a police radio in the car?" "Yeah we do. But it crapped out just like everything else."

Dr. Lee sighs, "I don't understand what is happening." Averie thinks for a moment "How far is it to the next town?" "It's about forty miles down to Sidewinder." "All right, I'm gonna go down there, see if I can find some help." she rests her hand on Andrew's shoulder "My partner'll stick around, keep you guys safe." "Safe from what?" "We'll get back to you on that." 

~ROAD~

Averie pulls up behind a wrecked car with Oregon plates that read "WTF 4C7"; she stops to investigate, carrying a gun. The windows on the car are smashed and blood covers the seats; on the ground by the driver's side is a large bloody knife. She picks it up and looks around "What the fuck?"

~CLINIC~

Andrew is leaning against a counter, staring at the body of Mr. Tanner. He begins pacing; Dr. Lee is nearby, looking at something in a microscope. "Huh." she says, "What?" "His lymphocyte percentage is pretty high. His body was fighting off a viral infection." "Really? What kind of virus?" "Can't say for sure." "Do you think an infection could have made him act like that?" she shakes her head, then turns to him "None that I've ever heard of. I mean, some can cause dementia, but not that kind of violence. And besides, I've never heard of one that did this to the blood." "Did what?" "There's this . . . weird residue. If I didn't know better I'd say it was sulfur." "Sulfer." 

~ROAD~

Averie drives along the road to a bridge, which is blocked by a roadblock consisting of several cars and a half-dozen locals with guns. One is Jake, she stops the car, frowning. Something bangs down on the roof of the car and she jumps slightly; a man leans over. "Hey." she says, "Sorry. Road's closed." "Yeah, I can see that. What's up?" "Quarantine." she looks confused "Quarantine? What is it?" "Don't know. Something going around out there." "Uh-huh. Who told you that?" "County Sheriff." "Is he here?" 

"No. He called. Say, why don't you get out of the car and we'll talk a little?" he says, Averie chuckles "Well, you are a handsome devil, but I don't wanna get out." "I'd sure appreciate it if you got out of the car, just for a quick minute." "Yeah, I'll bet you would." Averie puts the car into a quick reverse; the man grabs her collar and is dragged along. The men at the roadblock begin firing, and she swings the car around, shaking the man off and zooming away.

~CLINIC~

Dr. Lee and Andrew stare at Beverly, still huddled on the stool in the lab. "I don't understand. Are you saying my husband and Jake had a disease?" "That's what we're trying to find out. Now, during the attack, do you remember . . . did you have any direct contact with their blood?" "Oh my God. You don't think I've got this virus, do you?" "Beverly, I don't know what to think. But with your permission, we'll take a blood sample."

Beverly nods and lays her hand gently on Dr. Lee's. Suddenly she grabs her wrist and yells in rage, lashing out with her other hand. Andrew advances on her and she tosses him against a glass cabinet, which shatters. She picks up a scalpel as he takes a fire extinguisher from the wall; she advances on him, still yelling. He knocks her out.

~TOWN ROAD~

Averie is driving back into town; Mark steps into her path brandishing a rifle, and she stops the car. "Hands where I can see 'em!" "Son of a-" "Get out of the car! Out of the car!" She opens the door and slowly gets out "All right, easy there, big guy." As she stands, she pulls out a handgun and points it at Mark. "All right, put it down!" she yells, "Lower it now!" "Put it down!" "Are you one of 'em?" "No! Are you?" "No!" "You could be lying!" "So could you!" "All right! All right. We could do this all day, all right? Let's just uh, let's take it easy before we kill each other." Mark relaxes slightly "What's going on with everybody?"

"I don't know." Averie says frowning, "My neighbor...Mr. Rogers-" "You've got a neighbor named Mr. Rogers?" "Not anymore." she nods, "He came at me with a hatchet. I put him down. He's not the only one, I mean, it's happening to everyone." "I'm heading over to the Doc's place, there's still some people left." "No, no way. I'm getting the hell out." "There's no way out, they got the bridge covered, now come on." "I don't believe you." "Fine, stay here, be my guest." Mark hesitates, then changes his mind. He pulls out a handgun and keeps it pointed towards Averie as he gets into the passenger's side; Averie still has her gun up as well. "Well, this ought to be a relaxing drive."

~CLINIC~

Dr. Lee is again looking through the microscope; Pam huddles against the far wall. "What if we all have it? What if we all go crazy?" "You've got to stay calm. All we can do is wait. The Marshal's bringing help." "I can't, I . . . I've got to go." "Pam!" "No, you don't understand. My boyfriend's out there, I gotta make sure he's okay." She hurries out of the lab, and Andrew follows her all the way to the lobby, "All right, wait, wait. Please. Look, I know you're upset, all right? But it's safer if you stay here for now. Help is coming." They hear the Impala pull up "There they are." "Andy? Open up!"

Andrew opens the door to let in Averie and Mark; both are still armed. "Did you guys, uh, get to a phone?" she shakes her head "Road block." she turns to Mark "I'm gonna have a word. Doc's inside." "What's going on out there, Av?" "Man, I don't know, I feel like Chuck Heston in the Omega Man, I mean, Sarge is the only sane person I could find. What are we dealing with, do you know?" "Yeah, Doc thinks it's a virus." "Okay, great. What do you think?"

He sighs "I think she's right." "Really?" "Yeah. And I think the infected are trying to infect others with blood-to-blood contact. Oh, but it gets better. The uh, the virus? Leaves traces of sulfur in the blood." she looks at him, suprised "A demonic virus?" "Yeah, more like demonic germ warfare. At least it explains why I've been having visions." "It's like a Biblical plague." "Yeah. You don't know how right you are, Av. I've been poring through Dad's journal, found something about the Roanoke colony."

"And?" she asks, "Dad always had a theory about Croatoan. He thought it was a demon's name. Sometimes known as Deva or sometimes Resheph. A demon of plague and pestilence." "Well, that, that's terrific. Why here, why now?" "I have no idea. But Averie, who knows how far this thing can spread? We gotta get out of here, we gotta warn people." They look over when Mark yells "They've got one! In here!" Averie jogs over "What do you mean?" "The wife. She's infected. We've gotta take care of this. We can't just leave her in there. My neighbors, they were strong. The longer we wait, the stronger she'll get." Averie barely hesitates before pulling out her gun and walking to the Lab.

~LAB~

Pam looks at them in horror "You're gonna kill Beverly Tanner?" "Doctor, could there be any treatment? Some kind of cure for this?" Andrew asks, Averie looks over at Dr. Lee "Can you cure it?" "For God's sake, I don't even know what "it" is!" "I told you, it's just a matter of time before she breaks through." Mark mutters. Pam starts whining "Just leave her in there, you can't shoot her like an animal!" Averie looks over at Andrew "You know what we have to do."

They go to the door of the utility room, where Beverly is being held. Averie and Mark hold their guns ready; Andrew carefully opens the door, Averie and Mark take up offensive positions. Inside, Beverly is huddled on the floor, knees drawn up. She jumps at their approach, "Mark, what are you doing? Mark, it's, it's them! They locked me in here, they, they tried to kill me! They're infected, not me! Please, Mark! You've known me all your life! Please!" "You sure she's one of 'em?" Averie whispers to Andrew, he nods, she looks at Beverly sadly. As Mark pulls back, near tears, Averie steps forward "I'm so sorry." she fires twice.

~CLINIC. NIGHT~

The shades are drawn, and Mark peers through them cautiously. A few people are gathered outside. Behind him, Andrew pulls out a hunting knife and checks the blade as Averie loads a gun. In the lab, Pam has just dropped a vial of blood; she screams. "Oh god! Is there any on me? Am I okay?" Dr. Lee looks at her worried "You're clean, you're okay." "Why are we staying here? Please, let's just go!" Averie looks over at her "No, we can't, because those things are everywhere."

She sinks to the ground "Oh god.." Dr. Lee kneels next to her "Hey, shh, shh." Andrew sighs and whispers to Averie "She's right about one thing. We can't stay here. We've gotta get out of here, get to the Roadhouse? Somewhere. Let people know what's coming." "Yeah, good point. Night of the Living Dead didn't exactly end pretty." Mark walks over to them "Well, I'm not sure we've got a choice. Lots of folks up here are good with rifles — even with all your hardware we're, we're easy targets. So unless you've got some explosives . . ." Andrew glances up at a shelf of medical supplies and gets an idea.

"We can make some." He goes to the shelf and takes down a bottle of Potassium Chloride; just then, someone starts pounding frantically on the front door. The three run out, "Hey! Let me in, let me in! Please!" "It's Duane Tanner." Mark says, Andrew opens the door and lets Duane in. He has a backpack and is limping, "Thank god." "Duane, you okay?" Averie turns to Andrew and quietly asks "That's the guy that I, uh," she clicks her tongue, "Yeah." "Who else is in here?" Duane asks moving forward, Averie grabs his arm "Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there, chief. Hey Doc! Give Duane a good once-over, would you?"

Dr. Lee takes them to the Lab "Pam?" Duane looks at Averie "Who are you?" "Never mind who I am. _Doc_." "Yeah, okay." Mark looks at him "Duane. Where you been?" "On a fishing trip up by Roslyn. I came back this afternoon. I . . . I saw Roger McGill being dragged out of his house by people we know! They started cutting him with knives! I ran, I've been hiding in the woods ever since. Has anybody seen my mom and dad?" Averie turns to Andrew "Awkward.." 

Duane is sitting on a stool; his left leg has a deep gash in it. "You're bleeding." Dr. Lee says scared, "Where'd you get that?" Averie asks, "I was running, I must have tripped." "Tie him up, there's rope in there." "Wait-" Duane goes to get up, Averie pulls her gun out "Sit down!" "I'm sorry, Duane, he's right. We've gotta be careful." Mark says. "Careful? About what?" "Did they bleed on you?" "No, what the hell? No!" 

Andrew looks at Dr. Lee, "Doc? Any way to know for sure, any test?" "I've studied Beverly's bloodwork backwards and forwards. It took three hours for the virus to incubate. The sulfur didn't appear in the blood until then, so . . . no, there'd be no way of knowing. Not until after Duane turns." "Averie, I gotta talk to you. Now." She glances at Mark, who nods. She and Andrew leave the lab.

~EMPTY ROOM~

Andrew looks at Averie, panicked, "This is my vision, Averie. It's happening." "Yeah, I figured." "You can't kill him, all right? Not yet. We don't know if he's infected or not." "Well, I think we're pretty damn sure. Guy shows up out of nowhere, he's got a cut on his leg, his whole family's infected?" "All right, then we should keep him tied up, and we should wait and see." "For what? For him to Hulk out and infect somebody else? No thanks, can't take that chance." She starts to push past him, he stops her with a hand on her chest.

"Hey look, I'm not happy about this, okay? But it's a tough job and you know that." she says, "It's supposed to be tough, Av. We're supposed to struggle with this, that's the whole point." "What does that buy us?" "A clear conscience, for one!" "Well, it's too late for that." she tries pushing past him again, he grabs her arm. "What the hell's happened to you?" "What?" "You might kill an innocent man, and you don't even care! You don't act like yourself anymore, Averie. Hell, you know what? You're acting like one of those things out there."

"Mm-hmm." Averie pushes past Andrew a third time; he tries to stop her again but she hurls him against the far wall. She goes back into the hall and locks the door, "Hey!" he rattles the handle "Open the damn door, Averie! Don't do it, Av! Don't!"

Averie is now in the hallway from the vision. She drops the clip out of the gun and taps it against the butt, then replaces it. She opens the door to the lab and shuts it behind; Duane is tied to the chair and Mark, Pam and Dr. Lee stand nearby. "No, you're not gonna . . . No, no, I swear it's not in me!" Pam starts freaking out "Oh god, we're all gonna die!" Mark looks at Averie "Maybe he's tellin' the truth." "He's not him, not anymore."

"No, stop it! Stop it! Ask her, ask the doctor! It's not in me!" Duane shrieks, "I just . . . I can't tell." Dr. Lee says, "No, please, don't. Don't. I swear, I-" Averie frowns "I got no choice." he starts sobbing "I swear, it's not in me, it's not in me! Don't, don't. Please!" "I got no choice." The moment stretches on: Averie pointing the gun at Duane with her finger hovering over the trigger, Duane sobbing, the others watching in tense silence. She trembles, hesitates, and finally lowers the gun with a grimace "Damn it!" he pants in relief as she leaves the room.

-

Averie and Andrew are preparing explosives with rags and glass bottles. Dr. Lee enters, hands in her pockets "It's been over four hours. Duane's blood is still clean. I don't think he's infected. I'd like to untie him, if that's all right." They share a look; Andrew nods, Averie lowers her head. Dr. Lee walks out, he turns to Averie "You know I'm gonna ask you why." "Yeah, I know." "So why, Why didn't you kill him?" "We need more alcohol." Andrew gets up and goes into the dispensary and finds Pam already there. "How you holding up, Pam?" "Good. It'll all be over soon." She shuts the door and locks it; Andrew, has his back turned, and doesn't notice. "In fact, I've been waiting for this the whole time." "Waiting for what?" he asks confused, "To get you alone."

She lashes out and knocks him to the ground. She straddles his chest and hits him, hard, across the face. Outside the room, Averie and Mark hear the commotion and arm themselves. Pam has a scalpel in one hand, which she slices across Andrew's chest and then across her own palm, placing her wound over his. Averie kicks the door open and shoots her three times in the back. She convulses and falls to the floor. Andrew reaches out a hand to Averie, who starts to lean over to take it; Mark pulls her back "She bled on him. He's got the virus." Andrew pulls his hand back, realizing it's true; Averie shakes her head "No..he can't."

~LAB~

Andrew is now sitting on the stool, a bandage pressed to his chest. His eyes are down, and he looks near tears. The others surround him, Averie pacing angrily "Doc, check his wound again, would you?" Dr. Lee frowns, Averie glares at her "Doctor!" "What's she need to examine him for? You saw what happened." Mark says, Dr. Lee looks at Andrew "Did her blood actually enter your wound?" Mark scoffs "Oh come on, of course it did!" "We don't know that for sure." Averie says sadly. "We can't take a chance. You know what we have to do." "Nobody is shooting my brother!" "He isn't gonna be your brother much longer. You said it yourself." Duane says.

"Nobody is shooting anyone!" she says starting to tear up, "You were gonna shoot me!" Duane says, "You don't shut your pie-hole, I still might!" Andrew looks up at her "Av, they're right. I'm infected; just give me the gun and I'll do it myself." "Forget it." "Avie, I'm not gonna become one of those things. I don't want to." "Andrew, we still got time." Mark shakes his head "Time for what? Look, I understand he's your brother, and I'm sorry, I am. But we gotta take care of this." he pulls out his handgun, she steps in front of him "I'm gonna say this one time — you make a move on him, you'll be dead before you hit the ground. You understand me? I mean, do I make myself clear?!" "Then what are we supposed to do?!"

She tosses him her keys, "Get the hell out of here, that's what. Take my car. You've got the explosives, there's an arsenal in there. You two go with him. You've got enough firepower to handle anything now." "What about you?" there's a moment of silence. "Averie, no. No. Go with them. This is your only chance!" "You're not gonna get rid of me that easy." Mark looks at her "No, he's right. Come with us." she shakes her head, "Okay, it's your funeral." He leads Duane and Dr. Lee out the door, Dr. Lee looks at them "I'm sorry. Thanks for everything, Marshals." "Oh, actually we're not really Marshals." "Oh." they leave.

Averie shuts the door behind them, she turns slowly to face Andrew, who starts to cry. "Wish we had a deck of cards, or a foosball table or something." she says, "Av, don't do this. Just get the hell out of here." "No, no way." "Give me my gun, and leave." he whines, she looks at him "For the last time, Andrew. No." "This is the dumbest thing you've ever done." "Oh, I don't know about that. Remember that waitress in Tampa?" she shudders. "Averie, I'm sick, it's over for me. It doesn't have to be for you." "No?" "No, you can keep going." she frowns "Who says I want to?" "What?"

Averie crosses to the other wall and pulls a handgun out of her waistband before sitting on the file cabinet. "I'm tired, Andrew. I'm tired of this job, this life . . . this weight on my shoulders, man. I'm tired of it." he looks at her sadly, "So what, so you're just going to give up? You're just gonna lay down and die? Look, I know this stuff with Dad has —" "You're wrong. It's not about Dad. I mean, part of it is, sure, but . . ." "What is it about?" They hear a noise outside; a moment later there's a knocking on the door. Averie picks up both handguns and crosses to it; Dr. Lee is there, she opens the door, "You'd better come see this."

~OUTSIDE CLINIC~

All five survivors are standing just outside the clinic; everything else in sight is deathly silent. "There's no one. Not anywhere. They've all just . . . vanished." Dr. Lee says, Averie and Andrew look at each other surprised.

~CLINIC. MORNING~

Dr. Lee is looking through the microscope; Andrew is seated on the exam table. "Well, it's been five hours and your blood's still clean. I don't understand it but I think you dodged a bullet." "But I was exposed. How could I not be infected?" "I don't know. But you're just not. I mean, you compare it with the Tanner samples . . ." she looks at the samples in the micro-scope "What the hell?" "What?" "Their blood. There's no trace of the virus. No sulfur, nothing!"

-

Mark and Duane are loading up a truck; Dr. Lee stands in the doorway of the clinic. "Hey, the Sarge and I are getting the hell out of here, heading south. You should come." "I'd better get over to Sidewinder, get the authorities up here. If they'll believe me. Take care." Mark waves to her, Averie, and Andrew, who are leaning against the Impala. "What about him?" Averie asks, Dr. Lee smiles "He's going to be fine. No signs of infection." she goes back inside as Mark and Duane pull away in the truck. 

Averie turns to Andrew "Hey, don't look at me. I got no clue." "I swear, I'm gonna lose sleep over this one. I mean, why here, why now? And where the hell did everybody go? It's like they just friggin' melted." "Why was I immune?" "Yeah. You know what? That's a good question. You know, I'm already starting to feel like this is the one that got away?" they get in the Impala and drive away.

~BLACKTOP~

Mark drives his pickup down a two-lane road; Duane is in the passenger's seat. "You mind pulling over up ahead there?" "Alright." He pulls onto the side and stops the truck, "I gotta make a call." "There's no phone out here." "I got it covered." Duane pulls out a small knife, "What the hell is that?" In a quick motion, he lashes out, slitting Mark's throat; he catches the blood in a metal bowl, just like the one Olivia used to use. He sits back and dips his hand in the blood, swirling it around. "It's over, you'll be pleased. I don't think any more tests are necessary." (...) "The Walker boy, definitely immune, as expected." (...) "Yes, of course. Nothing left behind." Duane's eyes are all black, he smirks.

~BRIDGE. SUNSET~

The Impala is parked by the side of a road, overlooking a river. Averie and Andrew lean against a fence, drinking beer. "So. Last night. You want to tell me what the hell you were talking about?" he asks, "What do you mean?" " _What do I mean?_ I mean you said you were tired of the job. And that it wasn't just because of Dad." "Forget it." "No, I can't. No way." She scoffs "Come on man, I thought we were both going to die, you can't hold that over me." 

"No, no, no, no. You can't pull that crap with me. You're talking." Andrew says, Averie chuckles "And if I don't?" "Then I guess I'll just have to keep asking until you do." "I don't know, man. I just think maybe we ought to . . . go to the Grand Canyon." "What?" "Yeah, you know, all this driving back and forth across country, you know I've never been to the Grand Canyon? Or we could go to T.J. Or Hollywood, see if we can bang Lindsey Lohan." she smiles, "You're not making any sense." 

"I just think we should take a break from all this. Why do we gotta get stuck with all the responsibility, you know? Why can't we live life a little bit?" she says, "Why are you saying all this?" she shakes her head and turns away. "No, no, no, no, Averie. You're my sister, all right? So whatever weight you're carrying, let me help a little bit." "I can't. I promised." "Who?" "Dad." "What are you talking about?" She looks at the ground, "Right before Dad died, he told me something." she sighs "He told me something about you." "What? Averie, what did he tell you?"


	10. Hunted

~PSYCHIATRIST'S OFFICE. AFTERNOON~

Dr. George Waxler is sitting across from his patient, Scott Carey. A tape recorder sits on the table between them. "Don't be afraid, Scott. You can tell me anything, you know that. Whatever you say won't leave this room." "It started a little over a year ago. Migraines at first. Then I found I could do . . . stuff." "What do you mean, "do stuff"?" Scott sighs "I have this ability. When I touch something, I can electrocute it if I want." "How do you know?"

"I did it to the neighbor's cat. Its insides fried up like a hamburger." Dr Waxler frowns and takes a note, his face passive. "You don't believe me." he says, "I believe that you believe it." he leans forward "Then here. Wanna shake on it?" "Why would you want to kill the neighbor's cat?" Dr. Waxler asks. "I don't. He wants me to, and he doesn't want me to stop there." "Who?" "The yellow-eyed man. He comes to me in my dreams. Tells me to do things, awful things. But I tell him no, no, I don't want to!" "What else does the yellow-eyed man tell you?" "He . . . he has plans for me." "What kind of plans?"

-

Scott is walking alone under a dark and creepy train track. He hears something, "Hello?" As he gets to his car, he sees a dark figure reflected in the window. He turns slowly and sees that it's a woman holding a knife. The woman stabs Scott twice, killing him, blood flows from his mouth.

~LAKE SIDE. RIVERGROVE, OREGON. SUNSET~

The Impala is parked under a tree, Andrew and Averie are drinking beer by the fence around a small lake. "Before Dad died he, he told me something — something about you." she says, "What? Av, what did he tell you?" "He said that he wanted me to watch out for you, to take care of you." "He told you that a million times." "No, this time was different. He said that I had to save you." "Save me from what?"

"He just said that I had to save you, that nothing else mattered; and that if I couldn't, I'd . . ." she tears up, "You'd have to what?" "That I'd have to kill you. He said that I might have to kill you, Andy." she says as a tear rolls down her cheek. Andrew looks at her "Kill me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" "I don't know.." "I mean, he must have had some kind of reason for saying it, right? Did he know the demon's plans for me? Am I supposed to go Darkside or something? What else did he say, Averie?"

"Nothing, that's it, I swear." Averie says, "How could you not have told me this?" he yells, "Because it was Dad, and he begged me not to." "Who cares?! Take some responsibility for yourself, Averie! You had no right to keep this from me!" "You think I wanted this? Huh? I wish to God he'd never opened his mouth. Then I wouldn't have to walk around with this screaming in my head all day. Or go to bed and have nightmares about having to kill my little brother!"

Andrew walks away, fuming, "We've just got to figure out what's going on, then, what the hell all this means." he mutters. "We do? I've been thinking about this, I think we should just lay low. You know? At least for a while. It'd be safer. And that way I can make sure —" he cuts Averie off "What? That I don't turn evil? That I don't turn into some kind of killer?" "I never said that!" "Jeez, if you're not careful you will have to waste me one day, Av."

"I never said that! Damnit, this whole thing is spinning out of control. All right? You're immune to some weirdo demon virus, and I don't even know what the hell anymore. And you're pissed at me, I get it. That's fine, I deserve it. But we lay low until we figure out our next move, okay?" she says sadly, "Forget it." "Andrew, please, man. Hey, please. Just give me some time. Give me some time to think, okay? I'm begging you here, please. Please." he nods reluctantly.

~MOTEL ROOM. NIGHT~

Andrew leaves a motel room alone, a bag over his shoulder. He walks quietly past the Impala to a small black car; he opens the door with a coat hanger, looks around, and gets in. He drives away.

~CABIN~

He is standing outside a dark house, holding a piece of motel stationery from The Blue Rose Motel, with an address written on it. He approaches the house cautiously. He picks the lock and enters; the house is dark. As he passes through the doorway he trips a wire at floor level, which triggers a grenade. It explodes; he screams.

~BEDROOM~

Frankie, a young woman wakes up from the vision/nightmare, gasping. The man behind her stirs, "Honey?" she turns to him, "You okay?" "I just had another nightmare. It's fine, it's nothing. Just go back to sleep." "You sure?" "Yeah." She lays down again, still panting.

~ROADHOUSE~

Andrew enters the Roadhouse, and heads turn. Natalie is behind the bar, and looks up as he approaches. She smiles knowingly, "Andrew." "Hey Nat. You don't seem that surprised to see me." "Well, your sister's been calling, worried sick, looking for you." "Yeah, figured she might." "What is going on between you two?" he sighs "So, uhm, how's Jacob?" "Well, I don't really know." she says sadly, "What do you mean?" "Well, I haven't seen him in weeks. He sends a postcard now and again." "What happened?"

"Well, after he worked that job with you, he decided he wanted to keep on hunting. I said "not under my roof", and he said "fine"." Andrew looks down "So I'm probably the last person you want to see right now." Natalie chuckles, "Oh, don't get me wrong. I wish I could blame the hell out of you two. It'd be easier. Truth is, it's not your fault. Andrew. None of it is. I want you to know that I forgave your daddy a long time ago for what happened to my husband. I just don't think he ever forgave himself." "What _did_ happen?" "Um, so, why did you come here, sweetie?" "I need help."

-

Natalie and Andrew are talking to James, who is looking around furtively, "What am I looking for, Andrew?" "Other people, other psychics, like me. As many as possible, and I need a nationwide search." she looks at him "But I thought there was no way to track them all down. Not all of them had nursery fires like you did." "Well, no, but some had to. Start there."

-

James emerges from his back room with a piece of paper in his hand, he gives it a flourish, "Done and done." "That was fast." "Well, apparently, that's my job. Make the monkey dance at the keyboard." She glares at him "Just tell us what you got, James." "Four folks fit the profile nationwide. Born in '83, mother died in a nursery fire, the whole shebang." "Four? That's it?" he asks. "Elliot Miller from Lawrence, Kansas, Andrew Walker from Lawrence, Kansas, Alex Gallagher from Guthrie, Oklahoma, and uh, another name. Scott Carey."

Andrew nods "You got addresses?" "Kind of. The Arbor Hill Cemetery in Lafayette, Indiana. Plot four-eighty-six." "So he's dead?" "Scott was killed a month ago." "Killed how?" "Stabbed. Parking lot. Fuzz don't have much, no suspects" "All right. Thank you."

As he gets up to leave, James slaps him on the back; when he's out of eyeshot, James picks up Andrew's half-full beer and starts drinking it. Natalie follows Andrew "Where are you going?" "Indiana." he says, "Andrew? I've gotta call Averie, I've gotta let her know where you are." "Natalie. I'm trying to find answers, about who I am. And my sister means well, but she can't protect me from that. Please." she sighs and nods.

~CAREY HOUSE. LAFAYETTE, INDIANA. DAY~

Andrew is sitting with Scott's father in his living room, talking. "So you say you went to high school with Scott?" "Uh, yes sir, I did. I just heard about what happened, I'm so sorry." "Scotty was a good boy. He changed a lot since you knew him." "What do you mean?" "It started about a year ago with these headaches. And then he got depressed, paranoid, nightmares."

Andrew nods "Nightmares? Um, did he ever talk to you about his nightmares? What he saw, or-" "No, no. He closed up with me. I tried to get him help, but nothing took. He'd just lock himself in his room for days." "You think maybe I could see his room?"

-

Andrew pokes around. The room contains a bare bed with a sleeping bag, some bookshelves covered in books and cassette tapes. On the bedside table he sees several bottles of pills, prescribed by Dr. George Waxler. He looks behind him, then pockets one bottle. He opens Scott's closet and shoves aside the clothes to reveal a collage of yellow eyes cut out of photos or magazines, glued to the wall.

~BLUE ROSE MOTEL. NIGHT~

Andrew walks across the parking lot. As he gets to the door he senses he's being followed; he turns and grabs the figure behind him, shoving her against the wall. It is Frankie, "Who are you?" "Please! Let me help you, you're in danger!"

-inside-

Frankie is pacing, talking somewhat frantically, "Okay, look, I know how all this sounds, but I am not insane and I am not on drugs. Okay? I am normal, and this is way, way off the map for me." he grabs her shoulder "All right, all right, just, just calm down. Okay? What's your name?" "Frankie." "Frankie, what?" "Frankie Till." "Ok, I'm Andrew Walker, all right? Now, you were telling me about these dreams of yours?"

She nods, "Uh, yeah, uh, okay, about a year ago I started having these, like, headaches, and just, nightmares, I guess. And I really didn't think much of it until I had this one dream where I saw this guy get stabbed in a parking lot." "When was this?" "Uh, about a month ago. But, anyway, a couple of days later, I found this." She pulls out a newspaper clipping and hands it to him; it reads "Local Man Stabbed To Death In Parking Lot" next to a picture of Scott Carey.

Frankie frowns "I saw this guy die, days before it happened. I don't know why, I don't know, it's just for some reason, my dreams are coming true. And last night I had another one." "Okay?" "About you. I saw you die." "How did you find me?" "Oh, uh, you had motel stationery, and I Googled the motel, and it was real, and so I just thought that I should warn you." Andrew gets up "I don't believe this.." "Oh, oh, of course you don't. You think I'm a total nutjob."

"Wait, no, no, no, I mean, you must be one of us." "Sorry, one of, one of who?" "One of the Psychics. Like me. Look, I have visions too, all right? So we're connected." She laughs "Okay, so, you're nuts. That's great." "Okay, okay, look. Did your mother happen to die in a house fire?" "No, my mother lives in Palm Beach!" "So you don't fit the pattern either.." she looks at him in confusion.

~ROAD~

Averie is driving alone, and her cell phone rings. She picks up it up, "Hello?" " _It's Natalie._ " "Hey, have you heard from Andrew?" " _I have, but he made me promise not to tell you where he is._ " "Come on, Nat, please. Something bad could be going on here, and I swore I'd look after that kid." " _Now Averie, they say you can't protect your loved ones forever...Well, I say screw that. What else is family for? He's in Lafayette, Indiana_." "Thank you, so much."

~BLUE ROSE MOTEL~

"Why can't you just leave town? Please? Before you blow up?" Frankie says, "No, I can't." Andrew says. "Oh, god. Why not?" "Because there's something going on here, Frankie. With you, with me. I mean, there are others like us out there. And we're all a part of something, and I've got to figure out what.""Okay. you know what? Screw you, buddy. Okay? Because I'm a secretary from Peoria and I'm not part of anything! Okay? Do you see this?"

She points at her engagement ring, "I am getting married in eight weeks. I am supposed to be at home addressing invitations, which I am way behind on, by the way. But instead, I drove out here to save your weirdo ass. But if you just want to stay here and die, fine. Me? I'm due back on Planet Earth.""Don't you want to know why this is happening? I mean, don't these visions scare the hell out of you? Because if you walk out that door right now you might never know the truth. I need your help."

~DR. WAXLER'S OFFICE. DAY~

Frankie is sitting in Waxler's office in a therapy session, to cover for Andrew's mission of covert theft. "So, Miss. Till, you're new in town." "That's right." "And what made you decided to seek out therapy?" She sighs "I have no idea." "No?" "No. I mean, I'm feeling really super anxious right now." "Okay, anything else?" "Uhm.." she sees Andrew inching by on the window ledge outside "Holy shit!" "What?" he turns to the window as a few pigeons fly off, Andrew is gone.

"I just remembered, when I was a kid, I swallowed like, eight things of pop rocks and then drank a whole can of coke, you don't think that that counts as a suicide attempt, do you?" she asks.

~BLUE ROSE MOTEL~

They return to the motel room with Scott's files, Frankie looks stunned. "Are you okay?" Andrew asks, "Am I okay?" "Yeah." "I just helped you steal some dead guy's confidential psych files. I'm awesome!" he chuckles as he sets the tape recorder down. They listen to it was Scott starts talking " _It started a little over a year ago. Migraines, at first. Then I found I could do . . . stuff._ " " _What do you mean, do stuff?_ " " _I have this ability. When I touch something, I can electrocute it if I want._ "

-

Averie pulls into the parking lot in the Impala; when she sees Andrew through the window of his room he sighs in relief. "Oh, thank god you're okay." Andrew moves aside, revealing Frankie through the window. Averie smiles, "Oh, you're better than okay. Andrew, you sly dog!"

-

The recording continues; Andrew is leaning over the table, looking more concerned. " _What else does the yellow-eyed man say?_ " " _He has plans for me. He says there's a war coming. That people like me, we're going to be the soldiers. Everything's about to change._ " the recording ends. "He's not talking about us, is he?" Frankie asks, "Yeah, I think he is." "But how can we turn into that?" "I don't-" The window above their head shatters as it's hit with a bullet. Andrew dives to the floor with Frankie, shielding her body with his. "What's happening?" she asks, "I don't know."

~ROOFTOP~

Luna is on a rooftop with a sniper rifle; she continues to take aim and fire at the motel room. As she is about to take another head-shot at Andrew, Averie jumps her from behind. "Luna!" she kicks Luna hard, then pins her down on her back, hitting her over and over again in the face. She grabs her by the collar, "You do that to my brother, I'll kill you!" "Averie..wait." she manages to grab the rifle and slam it into Averie twice, knocking her out. She stands over her, panting and blood gushing from her lip.

-

Frankie and Andrew investigate the roof from which Luna was shooting at them. "Wait, I don't understand. Shouldn't we be talking to the cops?" "Trust me, that wouldn't do us much good." he says, picking up a shell "These are .223 caliber. Subsonic rounds. The guy must have put a suppressor on the rifle." "Dude, who are you? How do you know this?" "Oh. I just, uh, I just watch a lot of TJ Hooker." He pulls out his phone, "Who are you calling?" "My sister, we're going to need her help."

~CABIN~

Averie is tied to a chair, and Luna is holding the phone to her ear. "Hello?" " _Averie!_ " "Andrew, I've been looking for you." " _Yeah. Look, I'm in Indiana, uh Lafayette._ " "I know." " _You do_?" "Yeah, I talked to Natalie. Just got here myself. It's a real funky town. You ditched me, Andy." " _Yeah, I'm sorry. Look, right now there's someone after me._ " "What? Who?" " _I don't know, that's what we need to find out. Where are you_?" Averie looks up at Luna, "I'm staying at, uh, 5637 Monroe St. Why don't you meet me here?" " _Yeah. Sure_."

Luna takes the phone back and hangs up, "Was that so hard?" "Bite me." "Maybe later sweetheart." she glares at her.

~ROOFTOP~

Andrew is putting his phone away, looking worried. "What is it?" Frankie asks, "My sister's in trouble." "What?" "She gave me a code word. Someone's got a gun on her." "Code word?" "Yeah. Funky town. Well, she thought of it. It's kind of a . . .long story. I ... come on."

~CABIN~

Luna has her back to Averie; she opens a canvas bag and starts pulling out weapons. "So Lunie. I know me and Sam ain't exactly your favorite people, but don't you think this is a little extreme?" "What, you think this is revenge?" "Well, we did leave you tied up in your own mess for three days." she starts laughing, "Which was awesome. Sorry, I shouldn't laugh." "Yeah. I was definitely planning on whoppin' your ass for that." Luna says glaring at her, "Mm-hmm." "But that's not what this is. This isn't personal. I'm not a killer, Averie. I'm a hunter. And your brother's fair game."

~STREET~

Andrew and Frankie approach her car, "I don't think I should leave." she says, "I want you out of harm's way, Frankie." "What about you?" "Harm's way doesn't really bother me." "No, but you are walking right into my vision. I mean, this is how you die." "Doesn't matter. It's my sister." "Maybe I could help!" he sighs, "You've done all you can. Just, just go back to your fiance." "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure. Go home. You'll be safe there." "Well, just, promise me you'll call, then. I mean, when you get your sister, just to let me know that everything's all right." "I promise."

~CABIN~

Luna is leaning against a pillar, cradling a rifle and speaking casually. "See, I was doing an exorcism down in Louisiana. Teenage girl, seemed routine, some low-level demon. But between all the jabbering and the head-spinning, the damn thing muttered something. About a coming war. And I don't think it meant to, it just kind of slipped out. But it was too late. Piqued my interest. And you can really make a demon talk, you got the right tools." "And what happened to the girl it was possessing?" "She didn't make it."

Averie shakes her head "You son of a bitch." she walks over and punches her, "That's my momma you're talking about. Anyway. This demon tells me there are soldiers to fight in this coming war. Humans, fighting on hell's side. You believe that? I mean, they're psychics, so they're not exactly pure humans, but still. What kind of worthless scumbag have you got to be to turn against your own race?" Averie glares.

"But you know the biggest kick in the ass? This demon said I knew one of them. Our very own Andy Walker." Luna says, backing up, "Oh, this is ... this is a whole new level of moronic, even for you." "Yeah? Come on, Averie. I know. About Andrew's visions. I know everything." "Really? Because a demon told you? Yeah, and it wasn't lying." Averie says, looking down. "Hey, Averie. I'm not some reckless yahoo, okay? I did my homework. Made damn sure it was true. Look, you've got your Roadhouse connections, I got mine. It's how I found Sammy in the first place."

She walks and sits down in the corner, "About a month ago I found another one of these freaks here in town. He could deep-fry a person just by touching them." "Yeah, did he kill anyone?" "Well, besides Mr. Tinkles the cat? No. But he was working up to it. They're all gonna be killers. We've got to take them all out. And that means Andy too." "You think Andrew's stupid enough to walk through that front door?"

Luna chuckles and starts pacing, "No, I don't. Especially since I'm sure you found a way to warn him. Ha. You really think I'm that stupid? No. Sammy's going to scope the place first, see me covering the front door. So he's going to take the back. And when he does he'll hit the tripwire. Then --" she pulls a grenade out of her bag, "Boom." Averie shakes her head "Andrew's not gonna fall for a fuckin' tripwire."

-NIGHT-

Luna sets up the tripwire across the back doorway; she returns to the room where Averie is tied up and straddles a chair. "Come on, Luna. I know Andrew, okay, better than anyone. He's got more of a conscience than I do, I mean, the guy feels guilty surfing the Internet for porn." "Maybe you're right. But one day he's going to be a monster." "How? Huh? How's a guy like Andrew become a monster?" "Beats me. But he will." "No, you don't know that!" Averie screams pulling on the ropes around her wrists.

"I'm surprised at you, Averie. Getting all emotional. I'd heard you were more of a professional than this. Look, let's say you were cruising around in that car of yours and, uh, you had little Hitler riding shotgun, right? Back when he was just some goofy, crappy artist. But you knew what he was going to turn into someday. You'd take him out, no questions, am I right?" Luna asks, standing up. "That's not how Andrew is!"

"Yes it is. You just can't see it yet. Averie, it's his destiny. Look, I'm sympathetic. He's your brother, you love the guy. This has got to hurt like hell for you." she pulls a scarf out of the bag and walks over to Averie, "But here's the thing. It would wreck him. But your dad? If it really came right down to it, he would have had the stones to do the right thing here. But you're telling me you're not the man he is?" she gags Averie.

-

Just like Frankie's vision, Andrew approaches the cabin, holding up the sheet of motel stationery. He sees Averie, and Luna, through the boarded-up window, then runs around back. He tries the door and finds it locked; he pulls out his lockpick and works it open.

-

The clicks from the door can be heard in the front room; Averie looks around wildly. "Ya hear him?" Luna asks, smiling. Andrew gets the door open and creeps in, "Here he comes." she whispers. Averie flinches helplessly as the first grenade explodes. She screams at Luna through her gag, "Hold on. Not yet. Just wait and see." As the second grenade goes off, Averie struggles violently, screaming through the gag. She starts sobbing as Luna crosses the room and stops beside her "Sorry Averie."

Luna goes into the back room, rifle ready. She sees Andrew's smoking boots on the ground, just like in the vision. She smiles but is still wary. As she turns away from the back door, Andrew raises a gun to the back of her head and cocks it. "Drop the gun." he says, "Shouldn't take your shoes off around here. You might get tetanus." "I said drop it!" "You wouldn't shoot me, would you, Andy? Because your sister, she thinks you're some kind of saint." "Yeah? Well, I wouldn't be so sure." "See, that's what I said."

She turns quickly, knocking the gun out of Andrew's hand and attacking him methodically until he goes down. In the front room, Averie hears the scuffle and struggles against the ropes, yelling in frustration. Out back, Luna slowly approaches Andrew, who's flat on his back, coughing. She pulls out her knife, "You're no better than the filthy things you hunt." As she raises the knife, he lashes out, flipping Luna over. He punches her twice, then grabs the rifle and points it at her head. "Do it. Do it! Show your brother the killer you really are, Andy!" He hesitates, then slams the butt of the rifle into her head, knocking her out. "It's Andrew."

-

Andrew shuffles exhaustedly into the room where Averie is tied up; she looks up emotionally as she watches him approach. He puts a hand on her shoulder as he kneels beside her, untying the ropes. Averie pulls off her own gag frantically, stands, and pulls Andrew up to standing. She cups her hand around his neck, looking at him closely, cataloging his injuries. She tears up and hugs him, the two of them walk outside, "That son of a . . ." "Av, no." "I let her live once. I'm not making the same mistake twice." "Trust me. Luna's taken care of. Come on." He grabs her arm and leads her away.

~ROAD~

They walk down a street, Luna follows them and shoots. Averie shoves Andrew towards the trees, "Go! Go!" they both duck behind the tree. "You call _this_ taken care of?!" she yells at him, "Just trust me on this, all right?" As Luna approaches, three police cars, sirens blaring, pull in front of her and surround her. Cops emerge, weapons ready, "Drop your weapons! Get down on your knees!"

Andrew and Averie look at each other as Luna drops to her knees. She glares in their direction, the cop cuffs Luna and pats her down, then leads her to a squad car. Another opens the back door of her red car and pulls out the weapons rack. "How'd-" "Anonymous tip." "You're a fine upstanding citizen, Andrew." she says chuckling.

~GAS STATION~

Averie stands near the bathroom, talking to Natalie on the phone. " _Luna Young was hunting Andrew_?" "Yeah, she almost killed us both because somebody over there can't keep their friggin' mouth shut." " _And you honestly think that it was me? Or James? Or Jacob? No way._ " She glances up at the Impala, Andrew is on his phone, "Well, who else knows about him, huh? I mean, you must have been talking to somebody." " _Hey, you can say a lot of things about us. But we are not disloyal. And we're not stupid. We haven't breathed a word of this._ "

"Luna said she had Roadhouse connections!" Averie says upset, " _And this roadhouse is full of other hunters. They're all smart. They're good trackers. Each of them with their own patterns and connections. Look, hell, I could name twelve of them right now that are capable of putting this together. I am sorry about what happened, Averie. But I can't control these people. Or what they choose to believe_."

~HIGHWAY~

Averie is driving; Andrew is talking on his phone. "Hey, Frankie, it's Andrew. Again. Um, call me when you get this, just want to make sure you got home okay. All right. Bye." he hangs up, "Everything all right?" "Yeah, I hope so." "Well, Luna should be reaching for the soap for the next few years at least." "Yeah. If they pin Scott Carey's murder on him. And if he doesn't bust out." "Dude, you ever take off like that again . . ." "You'll kill me?" "That is so not funny." she says smiling.

He laughs "All right. All right. So where to next, then?" "One word: Amsterdam." "Av!" "Come on, man, I hear the coffeeshops don't even serve coffee." "I'm not just gonna ditch the job." "Screw the job. Screw it, man, I'm sick of the job anyway. I mean, we don't get paid, we don't get thanked. The only thing we get's bad luck." "Well, come on, you're a hunter. I mean, it's what you were meant to do."

"Ah, I wasn't meant to do anything, I don't believe in that destiny crap." she says, "You mean you don't believe in my destiny." "Yeah, whatever." "Look, Av, I've tried running before. I mean, I ran all the way to California and look what happened. You can't run from this. And you can't protect me." "I can try." He sighs "Thanks for that..Look, I'm gonna keep hunting. I mean, whatever is coming, I'm taking it head-on, so if you really want to watch my back, then I guess you're gonna have to stick around." "Bitch." "Jerk." They both grin; after a minute, Andrew frowns and picks up his phone again.

"You calling that Frankie girl again? You sweet with her or something?" Averie jokes, "She's engaged, Av." "So? What's the point in saving the world if you can't get a little nookie once in a while, huh?" he scowl and hangs up "What?" "Just a feeling. How far is it to Peoria?"

~FRANKIE'S HOUSE. PEORIA, ILLINOIS. SUN RISE~

Andrew and Averie do their breaking and entering trick, "Hello? Is anybody home?" Andrew says. They go into the bedroom to find Frankie's fiance dead, face-up on the bed; his shirt and the sheets are soaked in blood. "Oh my god.." Averie runs a finger along the windowsill, staring at the powdery substance collected there. "Hey." he looks over, "Sulfur. Demon's been here." He looks down and sees the engagement ring on the floor. "Frankie.."


	11. Playthings

~PIERPONT INN. CORNWALL, CONNECTICUT. NIGHT~

A slow wind blows, creaking in an ancient sign that reads "Pierpont Inn, Est. 1930". A large, friendly man follows a young woman, Susan, down the dim hallway inside and up a set of stairs. "Most of the stuff is up here." she says, "I still can't believe you're closing this house. You know my parents got engaged here? My grandparents, too." "Yeah, a lot of people did." They reach the top of the stairs, "The boxes are at the end of the hall. Need any help?" "Oh, no ma'am, I've got it."

Two little girls, Tyler and Maggie, in old-fashioned schoolgirl outfits are sitting in the railing that overlooks the entryway. "He's gonna take our toys?" Tyler asks their mom, "Only the ones you don't play with anymore. It's not like you don't have enough already." "Son of a bitch." Maggie whispers, "Son of a bitch." Tyler repeats. "Watch your mouth!" Susan yells up at her, "Maggie said it first!" "Watch your mouth too, Maggie." she says, sighing.

-

Tyler goes into a large room filled with (rather creepy-ass) dolls and a large dollhouse - an exact replica of the hotel. She begins placing dolls into their beds, "Goodnight Tabitha." She looks over, confused, when a doll isn't where she had just placed it. She leans over and sees it lying on the floor of the dollhouse, body facedown but head twisted up. She picks it up slowly, then hears her mother scream.

She walks out of the playroom and walks towards the rail, Susan is on the phone, "Oh god. Yes, yes, are you there? Oh, you have to send someone right now, right now! I don't know, he.." On the floor at her feet is the man from earlier, lying in a pool of blood and contorted like the doll. As Tyler peaks to the railing, Susan sees her and gasps "Tyler, don't look! Don't look!" She continues babbling into the phone as Tyler looks down calmly; the man's eyes are staring, his mouth still pulsing in a horrifying gape.

~MOTEL ROOM. PEORIA, ILLINOIS. EARLY MORNING.~

Blues music plays on the radio as Andrew is on the phone and looking over the motel room walls; they are covered in maps, hand-written notes, and a MISSING poster showing Frankie's face. "Yeah. Okay. Thanks, Nat." he hangs up as Averie walks in the door, "What'd she have to say?" "Oh, she's got nothing. Me, I've been checking every database I can think of — federal, state, and local. No one's heard anything about Frankie, she just . . . into thin air, you know?"

"Huh." she says, handing him one of the coffees she got, "What about you?" he looks up. "No, same as before. Sorry, man." "Well, Natalie did have one thing." "Hmm?" she sits across from him. "A hotel in Cornwall, Connecticut. Two freak accidents in the past three weeks." "It's a job. I mean, a lady drowned in the bathtub; then a few days ago a guy falls down the stairs, head turns a complete one-eighty. Which isn't exactly normal, you know? Look, I don't know, Av, it might be nothing, but I told her we'd think about checking it out."

"You did?" Averie asks, "Yeah. You seem surprised." "Well yeah, it's just, you know. not the, uh, patented Andrew Walker way, is it?" "What way is that?" Andrew asks sounding challenging. "I just figured after Frankie there'd be, uh, you know, more angst and droopy music and staring out the rainy windows, and --" he gives her a bitchface, "Yeah, I'll shut up now." "Look. I'm the one who told her to go back home. Now her fiancé is dead and some demon has taken her off to God knows where. You know? But we've been looking for a month now, and we've got nothing. So I'm not giving up on her, but I'm not going to let other people die either. We've got to save as many people as we can."

"Wow. That attitude is just way too healthy for me, and I'm officially uncomfortable now. Thank you." she says, he ducks his head and starts laughing. "All right, call Natalie. Tell her we'll take it."

~PIERPONT INN. MORNING~

It's not raining, but the roads are wet and the air misty as Andrew and Averie park the Impala in front of the inn. Averie gets out of the driver's side, "Dude, this is sweet. I never get to work jobs like this." "Like what?" Andrew asks walking over. "Old school haunted houses, you know? Fog, and secret passageways ... sissy British accents. Might even run into Fred and Daphne while we're inside. Mmm, Daphne. Love her." she smiles, he rolls his eyes.

As they walk up the stairs, Andrew notices an urn on the side of the porch, "Hey, wait a sec." he looks at it closely. "I'm not so sure haunted's the problem." "What do you mean?" Averie asks, peaking over his shoulder, "You see this pattern here? That's a quincunx, that's a five-spot." "Five spot?" "Yeah." he turns to her, "That's used for hoodoo spellwork, isn't it?" "Right, yeah. You fill this thing with bloodweed and you've got a powerful charm to ward off enemies." "Yeah, except I don't see any bloodweed. Don't you think this place is a little too, uh, white meat for hoodoo?" "Maybe.."

As Averie enters, looking around at the quiet interior, Susan walks over briskly. "May I help you?" she asks, "Hi, yeah, I'd like a room for a couple of nights." Andrew walks in behind her as Tyler darts in front of his legs, chased by Maggie, who runs behind him. "Hey!" Susan yells at the girls, "Sorry about them." "Oh, it's alright." he says smiling. "Well, um, congratulations, you could be some of our final guests." "Well. Sounds vaguely ominous." Averie says, chuckling, "No, I'm sorry, I mean we're closing at the end of the month. Well, let me guess. You guys are here antiquing?"

Averie and Andrew share a look, "How'd you know?" she asks her, "Oh, you just look the type." She looks at Susan confused, "So, uh, king-sized bed?" "What? No, uh, no, we're, we're.." Andrew gets cut off by Susan "Oh, I'm so sorry." "What'd you mean that we look the type?" Averie asks, Susan has trouble thinking of an answer. Andrew sighs "You know, speaking of antiques, you have a really, really interesting urn on the front porch. Where did you get that?"

"Oh, I have no idea, it's been there forever." she says handing Averie a key, "Here you go, Miss." "Thank you." she dings a bell, "You'll be staying in room 237. Sherwin, could you show these two to their room?" Averie turns to see an old, balding man in a black blazer shuffling up behind her. "Let me guess. Antiquers?" Susan nods, Sherwin drags Averie's clunking duffel bag behind him, up the steps, as they follow. "I could give you a hand with that bag." she says, "I've got it." "Okay.."

Andrew looks up "So the hotel's closing up, huh?" "Yep. Miss Susan tried to make a go of it, but the guests just don't come like they used to. Still, it's a damn shame." "Oh, yeah?" "It may not look it anymore, but this place was a palace. Two different vice-presidents laid their heads on our pillows. My parents worked here, I practically grew up here. Gonna miss it... Here's your room." He slips the key in the lock and opens the door, handing the key to Andrew as he brushes past. Averie turns to shut the door and Sherwin is standing there, hand extended expectantly. "You're not gonna ... cheap out on me, are you?" she shrugs as she pulls out her wallet and hands him a few dollars.

-

Andrew sits on the bed, sifting through papers, and Averie paces. She chuckles as she approaches what appears to be an antique wedding dress displayed on a wall like a ghost. "What?" he asks, looking at her, "That's normal." she motions to the dress. "Why the hell would anyone stay here? I'm amazed they kept in business this long." she says laying down next to him, "All right. Victim number one: Joan Edison, forty three years old, a realtor handling the sale of the hotel; and victim number two was Larry Williams, moving some stuff out to Goodwill."

"Well, there's a connection: they're both tied up in shutting the place down." she says holding her hands up, "Yeah. Maybe somebody here doesn't want to leave, and they're using hoodoo to fight back." "Who do you think our witch doctor is, that Susan lady?" "No, doesn't seem likely. I mean, she is the one selling." "So what then, Sherwin?" "I don't know." "Of course, the most troubling question is why do these people assume we're together?" he turns to look at her, "Well, you wear that ring. And they probably think it's a wedding ring." she chuckles "Right.."

~HALLWAY~

Averie and Andrew poke around the hallways, he sees another urn and picks it up. It too, has a quincunx inscribed. "Hey. Look at that. More _hoodoo_." They approach a door marked "PRIVATE" and Averie knocks, Susan opens the door. "Hi there." Averie says, "Hi. Everything okay with your room?" "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, everything's great. Yeah." they say overlapping each other. "Well, I was, I was just in the middle of packing." she says, Averie looks behind her "Are those antique dolls? Because this one," she motions to Andrew "this one here, he's got a major doll collection back home. Dontcha? Huh?"

He shoots her a look, "Big time." "Big time. You think he could come — or we could come in and take a look?" "I don't know.." Susan says, "Please? I mean, he loves them. He's not gonna tell you this, but he's, he's always dressing 'em up in these little tiny outfits and, um, you'd make his day. You — she would, huh? Huh?" he has a sick look on his face "It's true.." Susan sighs "Come on in." Averie slaps Andrew on the back and follows him in; he shoots her a death glare.

"Wow. This is a lot of dolls. I mean, they're nice, you know. Not super creepy at all." Averie mutters, "Yeah, I suppose they are a little creepy. But they've been in the family forever. A lot of sentimental value." Susan says walking up next to her. Andrew sees the replica of the hotel "What is this? The hotel?" "Yeah, that's right. Exact replica, custom built." He leans down and picks up the broken doll from earlier, frowning, "His head got twisted around. What happened to it?" "Tyler, probably." Tyler runs in, "Mommy! Maggie's being mean." Susan sighs and turns to her "Tyler, tell her I said to be nice, okay?"

Andrew looks at her "Hey Tyler. I see you broke your doll. You want me to fix it?" "Oh, I didn't break it, I found it like that." "Well, uh, maybe Maggie did it." "No, neither of us did it. Grandma would get mad if we broke 'em." Susan sighs "Tyler, she wouldn't get mad." Averie tilts her head "Grandma?" Tyler looks up at her, "Grandma Rose. These were all her toys." "Oh, where is Grandma Rose?" she asks, smiling softly. "Up in her room." Andrew nods "You know, I'd, I'd uh, I'd really love to talk to Rose about her incredible doll —" Susan suddenly cuts him off "No. I mean, I'm afraid that's impossible. My mother's been very sick and she's not taking any visitors."

~HALL. NIGHT~

Averie and Andrew sit on the bed talking in hushed voices "Well, what do you think? Dolls, hoodoo, mysterious shut-in grandma?" she asks, "Well, dolls are used in all kinds of voodoo and hoodoo, like curses, and binding spells, and ..." "Yeah, maybe we've found our witch doctor. All right, I'll see what I can go dig up on boomin' Granny. You go get online, check old obits, freak accidents, that sort of thing, see if she's whacked anybody before." he nods "Yeah." "Don't go surfing porn -- that's not the kind of whacking I mean." he flips her off as she leaves, giggling.

~LOBBY~

Susan signs a wordy legal document with the word "AGREEMENT" at the top. A lawyer stands nearby, "I've been meaning to ask. What sort of renovations are you planning?" she asks him, "They never told you?" "Told me what?" "Uh, Ms. Thompson, we plan on demolishing the hotel." "Oh. I see. Excuse me."

~PLAYROOM/LAWYER'S ROOM. SWITCHING~

Tyler hums to herself over the following as she plays a tea party with several dolls. In an upper room of the dollhouse, a dark-suited figure sits at the edge of a bed.

Upstairs, in the parallel room of the real hotel, the lawyer sits at the edge of his bed.

The door behind doll-lawyer creaks open;  
The door behind real-laywer creaks open.

Tyler hums and pours tea. She hears a creak and goes over to the dollhouse. Doll-lawyer is hanging by the neck from the ceiling fan.

Upstairs, Real-lawyer is hanging from the neck from the ceiling fan, twitching.

~OUTSIDE~

Averie walks out as Susan walks up the stairs of the Inn, "What happened?" she asks, "The maid went in to turn down the sheets and he was just . . . hanging there." "That's awful. He was a guest?" "He worked for the company that bought the place." "Hmm." Susan sighs "I don't understand." "What?" "Had a lot of bad luck around here. Look, if you'd like to check out I'll give you a full refund." Averie shakes her head "No, we don't scare that easy."

~HOTEL ROOM~

Andrew is sitting alone in the dark, by the half-open door with the key askew in the lock. Averie enters and shuts the door behind her, all business-mode. "Andrew, there was another one. Hung himself in his room." "Yeah. I saw." he says, "We've gotta figure this out, and fast. What'd you find out about Granny?" "You're bossy.." she turns and looks at him, suprised, "What?" "You're bossy..and short." he chuckles. "Are you drunk?" "Yeah? So? Stupid." She looks around and sees several empty bottles, "Dude, what are you thinking? We're working a case."

He tears up, looking at the wall, "That guy who hung himself. I couldn't save him." "What are you talking about? You didn't know, you couldn't have done anything." he looks at her "That's an excuse, Averie. I should have found a way to save him. I should have saved Frankie too." Averie walks over to him, "Yeah, well, you can't save everyone. Even you said that." "No, you don't understand, all right? The more people I save, the more I can change!" he leans forward with his hands to his chest.

She kneels in front of him, "Change what?" "My destiny!" Andrew says "All right. Time for bed. Come on, Sasquatch." she helps him stand up. "I need you to watch out for me." he says, "Yeah. I always do." "No! No, no, no. You have to **watch out** for me, all right? And if I ever ... turn into something that I'm not ...You have to kill me." "Andrew." He grabs her and makes her look at him "Avie! Dad told you to do it, you have to." "Yeah, well, Dad's an ass. He never should have said anything. I mean, you don't do that, you don't, you don't lay that kind of crap on your kids."

Andrew shakes his head, "No. He was right to say it! Who knows what I might become? Even now, everyone around me dies!" "Yeah, well, I'm not dying, okay? And neither are you. Come on." She pushes him onto the bed, but he stays seated, reaching up and clutching her jacket. Her right hand curls in the fabric on his shoulder, "No, please! You're the only one who can do it. Promise." "Don't ask that of me." "Avie, please. You have to promise me."

She thinks for a moment "I promise." "Thanks.." he reaches up and pulls her into a hug, "Thank you..Thank you.." "All right. Come on, you gotta sleep." She leaves the hug and pushes him back on the bed. He falls back, then turns over on his stomach to plant his face in the pillow, hugging it with both arms. She looks at her little brother, smiling softly.

~DOWNSTAIRS~

Averie goes down to the antique, empty bar. Sherwin is behind the bar, she sits down, "Find any good antiques?" he asks. "Um, no! No, I got distracted." she says, frowning, "Have a drink?" "Yeah, thanks." she watches him pour a drink. "So, poor guy, huh? Killing himself?" he nods, "That kind of thing seems to be going around lately." "Yeah, yeah, I heard about the other ones. It's almost like this hotel is, uh, cursed or something." "Every hotel has its spilled blood. If people only knew what's gone on in some of those rooms they've checked into." "You know a lot about the place, don't you?" "Down to the last nail." "I'd love to hear some stories." Sherwin smiles "Kid, you should never say that to a old man." Averie chuckles.

~ENTRANCEWAY~

Sherwin leads Averie up the wide staircase, showing her old framed photographs on the walls. "This is little Miss Susan, and her mother Rose. Happier days." he says "They're not happy now?" "Well, would you be, leaving the only home you ever knew?" "I don't know. I never really knew one." she says sadly. He glances at her "Well, this is Rose's home. It's been in the family over a century. Used to be the family estate. And now she gets to live in some senior living graveyard, and they tear this place down."

"Yeah that's too bad.." they start walking back down the stairs, "I hear Rose isn't feeling well, either." "No, she isn't." he says, turning to her. Averie sighs "What's wrong with her?" "It's not my business to say." she sees a photo of two toddlers and their nanny, "Who's this?" Sherwin picks up a yellowing photograph of a girl sitting on a chair with young black woman; the woman has a quincunx necklace. "That's Rose, when she was a little girl." "Who's that with her?" she asks motioning to the young woman "That's her nanny, Marie. She looked after Rose more than her own mother."

~ROOM. MORNING~

Andrew is kneeling miserably in front of the toilet, his hair hanging in his face. Averie enters and chuckles at the sight, "How you feelin Andy!" he groans, "I guess mixing whisky and Jäger wasn't such a gangbuster idea, was it? I'll bet you don't remember a thing from last night, do you?" he whines "I can still taste the tequila.." She smirks, "You know, there's a really good hangover remedy -- it's a, it's a greasy pork sandwich served up in a dirty ashtray." "Oh, I hate you!" he yells as he goes back to the toilet.

"I know you do. Hey, turns out when Grandma Rose was a tyke, she had a Creole nanny who wore a hoodoo necklace." she walks over to the bathroom door, "Whoo, you stink." "Shut up, so you think she taught Rose hoodoo?" "Yes, I do." "All right." he stands up and walks over to Averie "I think it's time we talked to Rose, then." she cringes "How about you brush your teeth first?"

~PLAYROOM~

Andrew and Averie enter the creepy doll room and go to the door in the back; it's open, and they go through to find a dimly lit staircase. They creep upstairs and to the end of another hallway, into a small room whose door is ajar. Rose is seated in a wheelchair facing the rainy window, her back to them. They approach cautiously, "Mrs. Thompson? Mrs. Thompson?" Andrew says, she trembles "Rose? Hi, Mrs. Thompson, we're not here to hurt you, it's okay —" she doesn't respond and just continues trembling.

"Av." he says, pulling Averie aside, "This woman had a stroke." "Yeah, but hoodoo's hands-on, I mean, you've got to mix herbs, and chant, and build an altar." "Yeah. So it can't be Rose. Hey, maybe it's not even hoodoo." "Or she could be faking." "Yeah, what are you gonna do, poke her with a stick?" Andrew asks sarcastically, Averie shrugs, "Dude! You're not gonna poke her with a stick!"

Susan walks in "What the hell?! What are you doing in here?" "Oh, we just wanted to talk to Rose-" "Well, the door was open." they say overlapping each other. "Look at her, she is scared out of her wits. I want you out of my hotel in two minutes or I'm calling the cops." they both leave quickly.

~BALCONY~

Tyler and Maggie are playing jacks, "Your turn. Eightsies." Maggie says happily. Susan opens the door, "Have you started packing yet?" Tyler looks at her, "No." "Why not?" "I don't wanna move." "Yes, I know, but we have to." "But Maggie says we're not allowed to move." she sighs, "Tyler, enough. Maggie is imaginary. You're 8 and too old to have an imaginary friend and I am done pretending." she leaves. Maggie glares "I don't like her."

~OUTSIDE~

Susan walks outside and places a box in the trunk of a small red car parked outside. Sherwin pulls up in a pickup truck, "I can lug those boxes for you." "It's alright Sherwin, I got it." "Okay then. See you later." he drives off, she leans against the car and looks up at the house.

~PLAYHOUSE~

Tyler winds up a toy and watches it go back and forth. The miniature swing set beside her starts moving on its own. She stares at it.

~OUTSIDE/PLAYGROUND~

A creepy wind blows, and Susan stares as the full-sized swing set also begins moving on its own. She approaches the playground cautiously; all the play sets are moving, and the car starts behind her. She lays a hand on the teeter-totter to stop it. Everything starts moving faster, and suddenly the car revs its engine and comes straight at her. At the last moment Andrew appears, tackling her out of the way. He sits up "Are you okay?" "I think so." "Come on, come on. Let's get inside, let's go." Averie runs over and helps them into the Inn.

~INN'S BAR~

They guide her into the bar, she sits down at a table "Whiskey." is all she says. Andrew goes behind the bar, "Sure. I know the feeling." "What the hell happened out there?" Averie stands next to her "You want the truth?" "Of course." "Well, at first we thought it was some sort of hoodoo curse, but that out there? That was definitely a spirit." she takes her cup of whiskey from Andrew, "You're insane.." "That's been said."

He sits across from Susan "Look, I'm sorry. We don't exactly have time to ease you into this, but we need to know when your mother had the stroke." "What does that have to do with-" "Just answer the question, please." "About a month ago." He looks at Averie "Right before the killings began. So what if Rose was working hoodoo, but not to hurt anyone. To protect them." she nods "She was using the five spot urns to ward off the spirit." "Right, until she had a stroke and she couldn't anymore."

"I don't believe this.." Susan mutters, Averie looks at her "Listen, sister, that car didn't try to run you down by itself, okay? I mean, I guess it did, technically, but, but the spirit can — forget it." Andrew sighs "Look, believe what you want. But the fact is you and your family are in danger, all right? So you need to clear everybody out of here: your employees, your mother, your daughters, everyone." "I only have one daughter." "One? I thought Tyler had a sister named Maggie?" "Maggie is imaginary." the two share a look "Where's Tyler?"

~ROSE'S ROOM~

Maggie is standing in front of a terrified Rose, "She's going to stay here with me. And you can't stop me. There's nothing you can do about it." Tyler walks in "Maggie! Don't we're not supposed to bother Grandma!" "I know. Come on. Let's play." "Can we have a tea party?" Maggie smiles "We can have lots of tea parties. Forever and ever and ever."

~PLAYROOM~

Susan leads the Walkers up to the playroom, they go into the room; the floor is littered with broken dolls. Susan starts to panic, "Tyler!?" she rushes out and then runs back in, "She's not here!" "Susan. Tell us what you know about Maggie." Andrew says grabbing her shoulders, "Uh, not much. Um, Tyler's been talking about her since Mom got sick." "Okay, did you ever know anyone by that name?" "Uh, no.." Averie sighs, "Think, think, I mean, somebody that could have lived here, might have passed away?" 

Susan's eyes widen, "Oh my god. My mom. My mom had a sister named Margaret. She barely spoke about her." "Did Margaret happen to die here when she was a kid?" "She drowned in the pool!" "Come on." Averie says running out the door.

~POOL~

Maggie and Tyler are hanging on the ledge above the pool. "I don't like it up here. I'm scared." Tyler whines, "It's okay. All you have to do is jump." "I can't swim!" "I know. But it won't hurt. I promise. And then we can be together -- forever. And no one will bother us." "Why don't you just come with me and Mommy?" "Because I can't leave here. And you can't leave me. Please. I don't want to be alone."

Susan, Andrew and Averie run through the gardens to the pool house. They reach the door and pound on it. It's locked tight, they start pounding at the glass to break it. "Tyler! Tyler!" Susan screams, "Mommy!" she yells turning around, Maggie grabs her wrist and pulls her forward; she falls into the pool with a scream. "Is there another entrance?" Averie asks, "Yeah! Around back!" "All right, let's go." she looks at Andrew, "Keep working."

As they run around the building, Andrew continues to pound at the door; he looks back and sees a large potted plant. He pulls the plant out, picks up the heavy pot, and starts pounding the door with it. Inside, Tyler flounders in the water, coming up for a second; Maggie pushes her head down. Averie approaches the back door and holds Susan aside, she front-kicks the door, twice, but it hardly budges. "Son of a bitch!"

As Maggie holds Tyler's head under the water, a wavering voice calls her from above. " _Margaret. Margaret!_ " Andrew finally breaks through the glass and wriggles through the opening. Without hesitation he leaps over the railing and into the pool. He pushes past the plastic covering the pool to reach Tyler, lifting her in his arms, she is unconscious. Averie breaks through the back door and she and Susan rush in to meet Andrew as he exits the pool. 

After a tense moment, Tyler coughs and wakes up, "Thank god! Thank god, thank god." Susan says pulling her into a hug. "Mommy!" "Yeah, baby, I'm here." Tyler sobs into Susan's chest, Andrew frowns "Tyler, do you see Maggie anywhere?" "No, she's gone..." she says weakly.

~ROSE'S ROOM~

Maggie stands in front of Rose, "You'd really do that for me?" Rose doesn't say anything. "Yes. If you did, I'd let them go. But I don't understand. You kept me away for so long. I thought you didn't love me anymore." she smiles softly "Okay, little sister." she reaches forward and caresses Rose's cheek

~HALLWAY~

Susan holds Tyler close to her as they go up towards Rose's room. "Don't worry, honey, we're leaving in two minutes, we've just got to get Grandma." Averie and Andrew stand by their room, "I don't get it, did Maggie just stop?" she asks "Seems like it." "Well, where the hell did she go?" Upstairs, Susan screams. They run up to Rose's room to find her slumped in her wheelchair, dead.

~OUTSIDE~

Susan, Andrew, and Averie stand near the taxi talking "Paramedics said it was another stroke. Do you think ... Margaret could have had something to do with it?" Susan says, "We don't know." Averie says. "But it's possible, yeah..Susan, I'm sorry." Andrew says, "You have nothing to apologize for. You've given me everything." she turns to Tyler when she walks out "You ready kiddo?" "Yeah." Averie kneels to Tyler's level "Now Tyler, you're sure Maggie's not around anymore?" "I'm sure. I'd see her." "I guess whatever's going on must be over." she says standing up.

Andrew holds the taxi door open for them, "You two take care of yourselves, all right?" he says. Before getting in the taxi, Susan turns and gives Andrew a full-body hug. Averie smirks, "Thank you." she says to him. He shuts the door behind her waving bye to Tyler, "Think you could have hooked up some MILF action there, bud. I'm serious, I think she liked you." Averie says chuckling, he rolls his eyes "Yeah, that's all she needs." 

They start walking to the Impala, Averie puts a hand on Andrew's shoulder "Well, you saved the mom, you saved the girl. Not a bad day. 'Course you know, I could have saved 'em myself, but I didn't want you to feel useless." "All right, I appreciate it." "Feels good getting back in the saddle, doesn't it?" "Yeah, it does. But it doesn't change what we talked about last night, Av." "We talked about a lot of things last night." she says, frowning.

"You know what I'm talking about." he says stopping at his side of the car, "You were wasted!" "But you weren't. And you promised." she sighs. They get into the car, Andrew in a full-on brood, Averie flicking her eyes towards him in worry or anxiety. They pull away from the inn, Maggie and Rose (now appearing about 3) are skipping rope and counting.


	12. Nightshifter

**CHANNEL 8 NEWS**

A bank surrounded by police cars, press, and an ambulance —through a handheld news camera. The tags "BANK ROBBERY - MILWAUKEE, WI" appear in the lower left corner and "RECORDED EARLIER" in the upper right. A female reporter speaks off camera, "We're here downtown in front of the City Bank of Milwaukee, and though a short exchange of weapons fire occurred just minutes ago, police and SWAT teams maintain position as we enter the third hour of this intense standoff."

The camera cuts to live feed, the woman stands in front of the camera "Authorities estimate as many as ten hostages are being held inside the bank; no word as yet on the identity of the suspects, or, uh-" there's yelling, she turns, "Something's happening. I think they're opening the door. Roger, are you getting this?"

Police and others nearby shout over each other as the camera focus on the front door of the bank, "No, don't shoot, don't shoot!" a man yells, Averie's voice is heard "No, no, no, don't even think about it! Get the hell back!" The camera closes in on a woman and a man exiting the bank: a terrified security guard, and Averie, pushing the man in front of her and holding a rifle.

~JEWELRY STORE. MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN. ONE DAY AGO~

An attractive young woman, Sophie, comes out of the back with some papers in her hand. Averie turns to face her as she speaks, dressed in a dark suit. "So what's it like, being an FBI agent?" Sophie asks, "Well, it's dangerous. And the secrets we've gotta keep, oh. God, the secrets. But mostly it's, it's lonely." "I _so_ know what you mean." she tells Averie, biting her lip. 

Elsewhere in the store: Andrew, also dressed in a suit, with slicked hair, is interrogating the manager, a middle aged man. "Helena was our head buyer. She . . . she was family, you know? She said it herself, every year at the Christmas party. She said we were the only family she had." Andrew nods, "So there were never any signs that she'd do something like this?" 

"No. Still can't believe it, even now. That night, Helena came back to the store after closing. Cleaned out all the display cases, and the safe. Edgar — our night watchman — he caught her in the act. He didn't know what to do, he'd known her for years. He called me at home." "And that's when she took his gun?" "She shot him in the face. I heard him die. Over the phone." Andrew tilts his head "Any idea what her motive could have been?" "What motive? It makes no sense. Why steal all those diamonds, all that jewelry, and then what? Just dump it somewhere, just hide it, and then go home and-"

"She killed herself?" Averie asks Sophie, "Well, the cops said. She dropped the hair dryer in the bath and fried herself. They should know, right?" "Yeah. Well, thanks, Sophie, I think that's all I need." "Really? Because I've got more. You know, if you wanted to interview me sometime. In private?" a light blush appears on Averie's face, she glances over to Andrew then to Sophie "Yeah. Yeah, I think that's a good idea. You're a true patriot, you really are. Why don't you write your number down there for me, that'd be good."

"So you never saw the security camera footage yourself, then?" Andrew asks, "No. The police, they took all the tapes, first thing." Averie walks over "Yeah, of course they did." she shows Andrew the paper with Sophie's number.

~STREET~

Andrew and Averie drive down a dark street and pull up in front of a small house. Andrew looks at a paper then the house, "Five -- this is it." "Friggin cops!" Averie says upset, "They're just doing their job, Av." "No, they're doing our job, only they don't know it, so they suck at it. Talk to me about this bank." They get out of the car and walk to the house, he sighs "Uh, Milwaukee National Trust. It was hit about a month ago." "Same M.O. as the jewelry store?" 

"Yep, inside job, longtime employee, the never-in-a-million-years type. Dude robs the bank, then goes home and supposedly commits suicide." Averie nods, "The guy Resnick, he was the security guard on duty?" "Yeah. He was actually beaten unconscious by the teller who heisted the place." "God.." she mutters. "Yeah." he says, knocking on the door "Mr. Resnick? Ronald Resnick?"

A bright floodlight turns on, and they shield their eyes. "Son of a-" A young man comes to the door warily, Andrew looks at him "FBI, Mr. Resnick." "Let me see the badge." They pull out badges and slap them against the screen door in unison. Ronald squints at them carefully, "I already gave my statement to the police." Averie sighs, "Yeah, listen Ronald, um . . . just some things about your statement we wanted to get some clarification on." "You read it?" "Sure did." "You come to listen to what I've got to say?" "Well, that's why we're here."

He opens the door and leads them through a narrow hallway to a cluttered room; the walls are covered with alien photos and conspiracy theory paraphernalia. "None of the cops ever called me back. Not after I told them what was really going on. Uh, they all thought I was crazy. First off, Juan Morales never robbed the Milwaukee National Trust, okay? That, I guarantee. See, we and Juan were friends. He used to come back to the bank on my night shifts, and we'd play cards." Andrew turns to him, "So you let him into the bank that night, after hours." "The thing I let into the bank . . . wasn't Juan. I mean, it had his face, but it wasn't his face. Uh, every detail was perfect, but too perfect, you know, like if a dollmaker made it, like I was talking to a big Juan-doll."

"A Juan-doll?" Andrew asks doubtfully, "Look. This wasn't the only time this happened. Okay? There was this jewelry store, too. And the cops, a--and you guys, you just won't see it! Both crimes were pulled by the same thing." he says, handing him a folder, he looks in the folder; it looks like a Hunter's profile of the jewelry case. "And what's that, Mr. Resnick?" Ronald picks up a copy of a magazine called "Fortean Times" and holds it to his chest. The headline at the bottom reads BIRTH OF THE CYBERMEN. "Chinese've been working on 'em for years. And the Russians before that. Part men, part machine. Like the Terminator. But the kind that can change itself, make itself look like other people."

Averie chuckles, "Like the one in T2?" "Exactly! See, so not just a robot, more of a, a, a, a ... Mandroid." "A mandroid?" Andrew says, scoffing. "And what makes you so sure about this, Ronald?" she asks, Ronald holds up a finger, smiling a little wildly.

He inserts a VHS tape labeled "M.N.T. Camera 4 - Juan" into a player. "See, I made copies of all the security tapes. I knew once the cops got them they'd be buried." Averie nods, he fast forward "Now watch. Watch. Watch him, watch, watch! See, look! Th-, th-, there it is! You see? He's got the laser eyes." he pauses the tape. Juan, is facing the camera, with a light-flare in his eyes. Andrew and Averie share a knowing look, "Cops said it was some kind of reflected light. Some kind of "camera flare". Okay? Ain't no damn camera flare. They say I'm a post-trauma case. So what? Bank goes and fires me, it don't matter!"

They look at him, he continues "The Mandroid is, is still out there. The law won't hunt this thing down -- I'll do it myself. You see, this thing, it, it, it kills the real person, makes it look like a suicide, then it sorta, like, morphs into that person. Cases the job for a while until it knows the take is fat, and then it finds its opening. Now, these robberies, they're, they're grouped together. So I figure the Mandroid is holed up somewhere in the middle, underground, maybe. I dunno, maybe that's where it recharges its, uh, _Mandroid_ _batteries_." Averie nods, apparently impressed. Andrew stares intently; they both stand.

Andrew sighs, "Okay. I want you to listen very carefully. Because I'm about to tell you the God's honest truth about all of this." Averie smiles, waiting to see what he says. "There's no such thing as Mandroids. There's nothing evil or inhuman going on out there. Just people. Nothing else, you understand?" she is mostly keeping a straight face, but is clearly startled. Then starts to say something before getting stopped 

"B-But the lazer eyes." Ronald says, desperatly. "Just a camera flare, Mr. Resnick. See, I know you don't want to believe this. But your friend Juan robbed the bank and that's it." he says, "Get out of my house! Now!" "Sure. But, First things First." she looks over at him, confused.

~MOTEL ROOM. MIDNIGHT~

Andrew and Averie return to their motel room, which has the obligatory "Tacky Wall Decorations". They're dressed in ordinary clothing again, "Man, that has got to be the kicker, straight up. I mean, you tell that poor son of a bitch that -- what did you say, remand the tapes that he copied? Classified evidence of an ongoing investigation?" she asks, laughing "That's messed up." he walks over and sits down to watch the tape "What are you, pissed at me or something?"

"Nah, I just think it's a little creepy how good of a Fed you are. I mean, come on, we could have at least thrown the guy a bone. He did some pretty good legwork here." "He said Mandroid." "Except for the Mandroid part. I liked him. He's not that different from you or me. People think we're crazy." "Yeah, except he's not a hunter, Av. He's just a guy who stumbled onto something real. If he were to go up against this thing he'd get torn apart. Better to stay in the dark, and stay alive." "Yeah, I guess."

She places tracing paper over the map and starts marking it with a red pen as he pauses the tape on the flaring eyes. "Shapeshifter. Just like back in St. Louis. Same retinal reaction to video." he says, "Eyes flare at the camera. I hate those friggin' things." "You think I don't?" "Yeah, well, one didn't turn into you and frame you for murder." she says writing something on the paper. "Well, look. If this shifter's anything like the one we killed in Missouri ..." "Then Ronald was right. All right, they like to layer up underground, preferably the sewer. And all the robberies have been connected so far, right?" "Yeah." "With the, uh, sewer main layout. There's one more bank lined up on that same sewer main."

~CITY BANK OF MILWAUKEE~

A security guard leads Andrew and Averie, now uniformed as Securiserve Guard Service technicians, down the main hall. "Well, we haven't had any flags go up on our system yet." the guard says, she turns to him "No, this is a glitch in the overall grid. We just want to make sure the branch monitors are kosher." "Well, better to be safe than sorry, I guess." "That's the plan."

The guard opens the door to an observation room with several TV screens showing security footage. "All righty. You guys need anything else?" Andrew shakes his head, "Oh, no, no, we'll be, uh, we'll be in and out before you know it, just a routine check." "Okie-dokie." he says, leaving. Averie looks at Andrew, smiling "I like him. He says "Okie-dokie."." "What if he's the shifter? "Well, then we follow him home, put a silver bullet through his chestplate." he sighs as they sit down to watch the screens. "Okay. Well, you got any popcorn?" she says, giggling.

-

They are still reviewing the screens; the guard is on one, and his eyes are normal. Averie hits Andrew's shoulder "Well, it looks like mister okie-dokie is . . . okie-dokie." "Maybe we jumped the gun on this, Av. I mean, we don't even know it's here." "Mm-hmm." she says, distracted. "Maybe we should just go back to the sewers and . . and . . ." he gives her a bitchface, she has one of the cameras zoomed in on the ass of an attractive young woman who is bending over. "Averie, we're supposed to be looking for eyes."

"I'm getting there." she says, he rolls his eyes "Oh yeah?" "Wait a minute." On a different screen, a middle-aged man turns towards the camera; his eyes flare "Hello freak." He gets up "I got him." he heads for the door, but she lingers behind, looking at the one screen. "Averie!" "What?" They watch as Ronald scurries up to the outer door with a chain and a padlock, chaining the door shut.

~MAIN HALL~

Ronald runs inside and down the stairs. He has an assault rifle, and he brandishes it and fires once as he gets to the bottom of the stairs. "This is not a robbery! Everybody on the floor now!" He fires again into the air, and people begin screaming and ducking for cover. "Get down, dammit! Come on! On the floor, on the floor! In the middle! On the floor in the middle! In the middle, on the floor, come on! Hurry up, come on!"

Averie and Andrew walk down a hallway towards the main hall; a few panicked people brush past them, running the other way. "And you said we shouldn't bring guns." she says, he sighs "I didn't know this was gonna happen, Av." "Just let me do the talking. I don't think he likes you very much, _Agent_ _Johnson_."

Ronald holds up a key and shows the people working there "Now, there's only one way in or out of here, and I chained it up. So nobody's leaving, do you understand?" Averie walks into the room "Hey, buddy. Calm down. Just calm down-" "What the- You! Get on the floor, now." "Okay, we're doing that. Just don't shoot anybody, especially us." "I knew it. As soon as you two left. You ain't FBI. Who are you? Who are you working for, huh? The men in black? You working for the Mandroid?"

Andrew glares at him "We're not working for the stupid Mandroid!" "You, shut up! I ain't talking to you. I don't like you." Averie gives Andrew an "I told you so" look, "Fair enough." He looks over at a hostage "Get on 'em. Frisk them down, make sure they got no weapons on them. Go!" A middle-aged man goes over to the two and frisks them; he finds a knife in Averie's boot. "Now what have we here?" she looks over at Andrew, who just shakes his head "I'm not just gonna walk in here naked!"

He takes the knife and points the gun at them, "Get back there." "No, no, no, no, no." she mutters. He drops the knife in the deposit box, "We know you don't want to hurt anybody. That's exactly what's gonna happen if you keep waving that cannon around, and why don't you let these people go?" she says, "No! I already told you. If nobody's gonna stop this thing, then I've got to do it myself." "Hey, we believe you! That's why we're here." 

"You don't believe me. Nobody believes me! How could they?" he says, Andrew looks at him and then to Averie. "Come here." Averie says, "What? No." "You're holding the gun, boss, you're calling the shots. I just want to tell you something. Come here." he approaches cautiously and leans in. "It's the bank manager." she says, "What?" "Why do you think we've got these getups, huh? We've been monitoring the cameras in the back. We saw the bank manager. We saw his eyes."

"His lazer eyes?" "Yes. No. No! No, look, we're running out of time, okay? We've got to find him before he changes into someone else." "Like I'm gonna listen to you. You're a damn liar." Andrew frowns, Averie stands cautiously, hands up "I'll shoot you! Get down!" Ronald yells "Take me. Okay? Take me with you, take me as a hostage. But we've gotta act fast. Because the longer we just sit here the more time he has to change. Look at me, man. I believe you. You're not crazy. There really is something inside this bank." "All right. You come with me. But everyone else gets in the vault!" the other people in the bank let out gasps and a few people start crying.

~OUTSIDE~

A policeman paces outside, then goes around the corner where several police cars are waiting. "Come on, move, move!"

~VAULT~

Ronald ushers the hostages, including Andrew, into the vault. "Come on, move, move! Move, move!" he turns to Averie "And you lock it up." she starts moving the heavy door shut. "It's okay, everyone. Just stay cool." she looks at Andrew in apology; he frowns unhappily; she slams the door shut. A young redhead, Sherry, stares after them "Who is that woman?" Andrew looks at her "She's my sister.." "She is so brave."

~OFFICE~

Ronald precedes Averie into a series of offices; Averie has removed her uniform jacket to reveal a flannel shirt. "Check behind the desk." as she checks a back room, Ronald falls, yelling. She comes back out, eyes darting. He is lying on the floor next to a slimy pile of skin. He screams and stands, pointing his gun at it "What the hell is that?" "Oh, great." she mutters, looking at him "When it changes form, it sheds its old skin. So, now it could be anybody."

"It's so, so weird. Its robot skin is so lifelike." he says, picking a piece of skin up, "Okay, let's get something straight. It's, it's not a Mandroid. It's a shapeshifter." "Shapeshifter?" "Yeah. I mean, it's human, more or less. Has human drives -- and in this case it's money. But it generates its own skin, it can shape it to match someone else's features, you know, taller, shorter, male-" "So it-it-it kills someone and then takes their place?" She sighs "Kills them, doesn't kill them, I don't think it really matters."

"What are you doing?" Ronald asks, Averie picks up a letter opener from the desk and examines it. She sighs in relief, "Nice. You remember the old werewolf stories? Pretty much came from these guys. Silver's the only thing I've seen that hurts them." she walks over to the door "C'mon." Ronald grimaces at the skin, then follows her, grinning.

~OUTSIDE~

A helicopter, a S.W.A.T. police vehicle, and the Channel 8 News van join the scene outside. A red car pulls up, and a middle-aged man in a suit and long coat gets out. He goes into the command van, where several other officers are seated around monitors. A uniformed officer is stirring a cup of coffee, "How we doing?" "Another day in paradise." "No one's come out yet?" "This guy locked himself in. First thing he did." the detective chuckles, "All right, cut power."

~BANK HALLWAY~

Ronald is following Averie down a wider hallway, still chuckling. "What are you, nuts?" she asks, "That's just it. I'm not nuts. I mean, I was so scared that I was losing my marbles. But this is real! I mean, I, I, I was right! Except for the Mandroid thing. Thank you." he says. "Yeah, don't mention it." suddenly, the power cuts out; a few emergency lights click on. "Dammit! No, no, no, no, no, no." she says, "What? What is it?" "They cut the power. Probably their way of saying hi."

"Who?" he asks, scared, "The cops." "The cops?!" "Well, you weren't exactly a smooth criminal about this, Ron. I mean, you didn't even secure the security guard. He probably called them." "Well, I, I didn't, I didn't think t --" "All right, hang on, hang on, let's just take a breath here for a second, all right? They — they've probably got us surrounded. They've cut the power to the cameras so there's no way of telling who the shapeshifter is. It's not looking good, Ron." they flinch at a noise, "You hear that?" 

~VAULT~

It's now dark in the vault as well, and a few of the hostages are fanning themselves. Sherry is still babbling at Andrew; he continues to try and ignore her. "Has your sister always been so, um, wonderful? I mean, staring down that gun. And you know the way -- she played right into that psycho's crazy head, telling him what he wanted to hear, I mean," he looks at her, "She's a real hero." "Yeah, Yeah."

The door opens to reveal Averie; she now has a handgun. "Oh my god, you saved us! You saved us!" Sherry says, excited "Actually, I just found a few more. Come on, everybody, let's go. Let's go." she stares in confusion as several more people, including the Guard from earlier, are herded inside "What're you doing?" He looks at her and shrugs slightly, "Andrew, uh, Ronald and I need to talk to you."

He leaves the vault and Averie shuts the door behind him, frowning apologetically. "It's shed its skin again. We don't know when - it could be in the halls, it could be in the vault." "Great. You know, Av, you are wanted by the _police_." "Yeah.." "So even if we do find this damn thing -- how the hell are we gonna get out of here?" "Well, one problem at a time. All right, I'm gonna do a sweep of the whole place, see if we can find any stragglers. Once we get everyone together we've got to play a little game of find-the-freak, so . . . here." she hands him a silver letter-opener.

"Now stay here, make sure Ronald doesn't hurt anybody, okay? Help him manage the situation." she says, he looks at her upset "Help him manage? Are you insane?" Alerted by Andrew's raised voice, Ronald looks over. Averie looks past him and gives Ronald a thumbs-up. "Look, I know this isn't going the way we wanted-" "Understatement!" "But if we invite the cops in right now, Ronald gets arrested, we get arrested, the shifter gets away, probably never find it again, okay?" 

Ronald is peering out the window, in plain view, and Andrew gestures at him in exasperation. She sighs "Ron! Out of the light!" he looks at Ronald then turns back to Averie "Seriously?!" "Yeah, Ron's game plan was a bad plan, I mean, it was a bit of a crazy plan, but right now crazy's the only game in town, okay?" she pats him on the shoulder and leaves. Andrew sighs, leans back, and rolls his eyes at Ronald.

~HALLWAY~

Averie creeps along the dark hallways with a flashlight, listening for sounds and watching for movement. She leans against the wall as she hears something clatter farther down.

~VAULT~

The hostages are fanning themselves, and Sherry looks angry. The guard begins clutching his chest and breathing hard. "I'm going to leave this open. Give you guys some fresh air, all right? But no one leaves this vault." Andrew says, frowning, "I don't understand. Why are you helping him?" she asks. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." the phone rings and Ronald picks it up "Hello?" "I think I gotta get out of here!" the guard says, "Look, I'm very sorry, but you're just going to have to stay put, all right?"

He looks over at Ronald, "What? What do you mean, demands?" "Ronald, hang up." "No, I, I'm not a bank robber, I, I, I --" "I've got to really get out of here." Andrew bites his tongue, "Sir, you can't leave!" "-- kind of a crime fighter, I guess." Ronald continues. The guard is struggling to the door; several other hostages including a well-built middle-aged man, help him. "Look-" "No, I'm acting alone." 

Andrew sighs and goes over to the phone, slamming it to hang up. "Ronald? The less the cops know, the better." "Hey! I think this dude's having a heart attack! Get a doctor!" a man yells. "Great. Could be our guy. Could be a trick." he mutters, "You just going to let the man die?" "No one's dying in here." he turns to Ronald and snatches the phone "Cover the door." 

The plainclothes Detective is on the phone with Andrew; the officer is in the foreground, listening. "Can you tell me how many hostages this guy's taken?" "Look, one of the people could be having heart trouble. You need to send in a paramedic." "Just stay calm, we'll have you folks out of there." "Just send in a paramedic, okay? And don't try anything else. Please." "Paramedic? We don't have time for that!" Ronald turns to the man that just yelled, "Listen, I, I, I'm sorry, okay? I am. But nobody's getting out." "He's dying right in front of you!"

~HALLWAY~

Averie stops and looks up, seeing a ceiling panel askew. She picks up a coat rack and begins poking it. She dislodges it and a naked body falls to the floor. She turns it over; it is the man who has been helping the guard. His throat has been slit.

~VAULT. FEW MINUTES LATER~

The Shapeshifter is still holding up the guard, who is panicked and breathing painfully. "Come on, man, you've gotta unlock the front door. We've got to get him out of here." Ronald cocks the rifle, "Both of you stay where you are." Averie returns and whispers, inaudible, to Andrew. The Shapeshifter watches them warily, he walks into the vault "You know what, Ronald? He's right, we've got to get this man outside. Come on. I've got you."

He takes the guard from the Shapeshifter, "Yeah, yeah, let me help you." "Oh, I got him, it's, it's cool. _Thanks_." He gets the guard out of the way; Averie glares at the Shapeshifter and approaches the vault. "Thank you. Thank you." the guard wheezes, "You're welcome." Averie walks up to the Shifter "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" "You got the gun. I mean, whatever."

As he gets close enough, he attacks her, knocking her to the ground and running into the dark of the hallways. Averie gets up and chases after him. "Stop! Come back here!" Ronald races after them both, which puts him in the open again. Andrew sees a laser sight on his back "Get down! Now!" The sniper fires, hitting Ronald squarely in the chest. As he falls, Averie ducks behind a low wall, and they both watch in horror. Ronald slumps to his knees, then to the floor.

The hostages run out of the vault as Averie crawls behind another low wall nearer where Ronald fell. Andrew ducks down beside her, both panting. He pulls out the key and hands it to her, "Here. Take care of the guard. I'm going after the shifter." He runs off, and she crawls over towards Ronald. "Sorry, Ron. You did a real good job tracking this thing, you really did." She takes the rifle and, looking around furtively, runs over to the guard.

~HALLWAY~

Andrew approaches a broom closet and opens it suddenly; it's empty. He hears something behind him and turns. Sherry screams; she and the other hostages have gathered, trying to escape. "Please don't hurt us!" "You shouldn't be back here right now! You're in danger! Now go back to the vault. Now!" They look at each other before running back.

~MAIN ROOM~

Holding the guard in front of her and the rifle in her other hand, Averie approaches the front door slowly. Outside, several paramedics pull a stretcher out of an ambulance, "Everything's going to be all right." "No, don't shoot! Don't shoot! Please!" "No, no, no, no, no! Don't even think about it!" "Please! Don't shoot!" She looks at the media frenzy outside, "Son of a bitch..I said get back! Now!" she yells at the cops.

"One of the hostages. She seems to have taken over the situation." the one officer says, "Excuse me?" the Detective says.

"Okay, go, go!" Averie says, the guard stumbles out as she draws back inside, shutting the door and latching it. "We're so screwed.."

~HALLWAY~

Andrew has found another shed skin, he calls Averie. " _Yeah_?" "Slipped his skin." " _What_?" "Yeah, bastard shifts fast. A lot faster than the one in St. Louis." he says, upset. She groans " _God, it's like playing the shell game. It could be anybody. Again._ " "Yeah, I think most of the employees are out of the vault by now." " _All right, you search every inch of this place, I'm gonna go round everybody up._ "

~COMMAND CENTER~

"Crap." the officer says as a black van pulls up, "What?" the detective asks. "The Feds are here." "Oh, shit." A mousy, bespectacled man in an FBI jacket enters and stares at them; then a tall, commanding, shaven-headed man pushes past. "Lieutenant Robards?" the agent asks, "Yeah." Lieutenant Robards says. "Special Agent Henriksen." "Let me guess. You're lead dog now, but you would just love my full cooperation." 

Henriksen chuckles "I don't give a rat's ass what you do, you can go get a donut and bang your wife for all I care. What I do need is your S.W.A.T. team locked and loaded." "Listen, _Agent_. Something's not right about this. It's, um ... it's not going down like a usual heist." "That's because it isn't one. You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you? There is a monster in that bank, Robards."

~VAULT ROOM~

Averie herds the hostages back into the vault, Sherry looks at her "And I thought you were one of the good guys." "What's your name?" "Why do you care?" She frowns "My name's Averie." "I'm Sherry." "Everything's gonna be all right. This will all be over soon, okay?" Averie shuts the vault door and spins the lock as the landline rings. She sets down her handgun and answers it, "Hello?" 

" _This is Special Agent Victor Henriksen_." she chuckles, "Yeah, listen, I'm not really in the negotiating mood right now, so ––" " _Good. Me neither. It's my job to bring you in. Alive's a bonus but not necessary_." "Whoa. Kinda harsh for a Federal Agent, don't you think?" " _Well, you're not the typical suspect, are you, Averie_?" She looks horrified, " _I want you and Andrew out here, unarmed. Or we come in. And yes, I know about Andrew too. Bonnie to your Clyde_."

"Yeah, well, that part's true, but how'd you even know we were here?" she asks, " _Go fuck yourself, that's how I knew. It's become my job to know about you, Averie. I've been looking for you for weeks now. I know about the murder in St. Louis, I know about the Houdini act you pulled in Baltimore. I know about the desecrations and the thefts. I know about your Dad_." "Hey, you don't know shit about my Dad."

" _Ex-marine, raised his kids on the road, cheap motels, backwood cabins. Real paramilitary survivalist type. I just can't get a handle on what type of whacko he was. White supremacist? Timmy McVeigh, to-may-to, to-mah-to_." Averie tenses up, "You got no right talking about my Dad like that. He was a hero!" " _Yeah. Right. Sure sounds like it. You have one hour to make a decision or we come through those doors full automatic._ " She listens to the click as Henrikson hangs up, she hits the wall when she puts the phone down.

~COMMAND CENTER~

Agent Henrikson looks at Officer Robards "Scramble your men, five minutes, then we go in." "What? Henriksen, they've let out one hostage so far. They've hurt no one as far as we can tell." "You don't know these Walkers. They're dangerous, smart, and expertly trained." "We can't risk the lives of all those people!" "Trust me, Averie's a greater risk to 'em than we are." "No. This is crazy." "Crazy's in there. And I just hung up on it."

~HALLWAY~

Andrew sees blood on the floor in front of a closet; he opens it quickly, and the half-dressed body of Sherry falls out. Her throat is slit, "Damnit.." he lays her down and starts running to the vault.

He rushes into the vault room, where Averie is waiting; the vault is shut. "Hey. We've got a bit of a problem outside." she says, "We got a problem in here." he motions to the vault. They open the vault; the hostages flinch and look around. "Sherry, we're going to let you go." "What? Why me?" "Uh, as a show of good faith to the feds, come on." "Uh ... I think I'd, I'd rather stay here, with the others." Averie steps forward "I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist." She looks at them warily; Andrew is fingering the silver blade. After a long pause she approaches them.

They push Sherry back to the hallway, "I thought you were letting me go." Averie shoves her forward, holding her head and forcing her to look at the body. She begins screaming hysterically, "Is that community theater, or are you just naturally that good?" Averie asks. "This is the last time you become anybody. Ever." Andrew says, "No! Oh god! Ohhhh ...." she faints.

They stare at her, baffled, then back at the other body. Averie removes rifle from her shoulder and kneels over Sherry. She raises the blade with a shrug, but Andrew puts out a hand to stop her. "Averie, wait, wait, wait. What's the advantage of this plan? I mean, fainting now wouldn't help it survive." she looks at the other body, "Huh.." 

She kneels over the other body, then looks up, distracted by a noise. The body opens its eyes; it is the Shpaeshifter. It lashes out and grabs her by the throat. As she struggles, stabbing at it, Sherry wakes up. She screams again Andrew goes over to her, gathering her in his arms.  
  
Averie looks over "Get her outta here! Now!" she continues struggling with the shapeshifter. He leaves, carrying Sherry in his arms. Averie struggles with the shapeshifter for a moment, then it knees her in the chin and bolts.

The S.W.A.T. team creeps through broken glass and into the bank. Averie ducks around a corner to avoid one man. In another hallway, they find Sherry, who backs against the wall, terrified. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I work here! I work here. Please ... get me out! Get me out of here." Several of them guide her out; two others continue down the hallway. They see Andrew, who stops, "Freeze! Let me see your hands."

~BOILER ROOM~

Averie turns and gets slammed in the face by the Shifter's hand; she goes down.

~HALLWAY~

Andrew turns abruptly and takes out the two armored policemen singlehandedly.

~BOILER ROOM~

Averie recovers, settles into a fighting stance. She swipes at it with the silver blade, and it avoids the attack, retaliating. They tussle; she gets in two good head-butts and slashes at it again; it grabs her wrist and wrenches it up, and she grasps it's forearm; the skin slips off stickily. "Gross.." It kicks her hard it the chest, then several times in the face. She grabs the leg and wrenches it back, shoving it against the wall. 

They struggle like that for a moment before she manages to ram the silver blade into it's chest. It yells and Averie lets it slide to the floor. She hears a sound and flinches, then turns and kneels in front of it. A uniformed man enters the room with a flashlight and stops; "Get up." she looks back, panting.

~HALLWAY~

Preceded by several officers, Henrikson enters the building, gun out. He strides down the main hallway. Officers are going in front of him, looking in rooms, and calling "Clear! Clear!" as they go through the rooms. They find the body of the first man. "Male, African American. Goner."

~BOILER ROOM~

Another officer is kneeling in front of the Shapeshifter's Sherry-shaped body. "I'm telling you, man. I just walked her out of the bank. She must have a twin sister or something." 

~HALLWAY~

Robards walks up to Henrikson "Sir? My team said it's secure. They're gone." "You tell your team to tear it apart! The ducts, the ceilings, the furnace, everything." "I don't think that's necessary." "Why not?!" He takes him to a broom closet, where two people are stripped to their underwear and handcuffed back-to-back on the floor. Henrikson kneels and turns the woman over to look at her face, "Son of a bitch."

~PARKING AREA. SUNRISE~

Two people in S.W.A.T. armor with weapons have exited the bank and are running up stairs on the outside of a buildlng. They exit the stairs and turn into the deck of a parking garage, walking to the Impala. They get into the car and it's Averie and Andrew. They pull off their masks, panting, and sit in silence for a moment, looking somber. "We are so fucked.." she says, he nods as she starts the car. 


	13. Houses of the Holy

~PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND. NIGHT~

A young woman, Gloria, is sitting in a dark room, watching television (it appears to be "The Drew Carey Show") and smoking. She wears smudged makeup and the table to her left holds several small angel statues and an ashtray filled with cigarette butts.

"How little?" "How about "a little eyeshadow"? You know, all this stuff, it's just very unprofessional." "Don't touch the troll!" "Is that what your mom used to say to your dates?" "Put the trolls down or I'll put a staple right between your-" Gloria sighs heavily and lifts the remote control. She flips to a televangelist station, "Now I know it's hard. It's hard to look up when you're down. It's hard to look up and see the light. But I'm here to tell you folks, the Lord is with you."

She turns off the television; the lamp to her right begins sputtering and flickering. She looks around, frowning, and stamps out her cigarette. The television suddenly turns on again, and Gloria gasps in shock. "You don't have to suffer, you don't have to be lost. The lord is talking to you right now; he's saying, you are my child and you have a purpose! You think God forgot about you? I tell you no! All you got to do is listen! Can't you just hear those angels singing? Isn't it beautiful? It's time. It's time to receive the message he's sending. It's time to listen to the Word of God! Do you hear the glory? I said, can you hear it? I said, can you just hear the glory?"

The lamp is still flickering and the entire room begins to shake. Gloria clutches at the couch, looking around in panic. Behind her, a blinding light glows, and she turns to face it in horror, then awe. "Oh my god.."

~PSYCH WARD - DAY~

Gloria is seated quietly on her bed in a psych ward. Her hair is straight and her face clean; she's wearing a bathrobe and reading a book held in her left hand. The door opens behind her and she turns "Good morning. You're not the usual guy." The guy is Andrew, in white scrubs and holding a clipboard. "No, uh, just filling in. So how you feeling today, Gloria?" he asks, "I've never felt better." "So, no disturbances lately?" "You mean am I stark raving cuckoo for coco puffs?"

He frowns "I didn't say that." "It's all right. I know what people must think." "What do you think?" she chuckles "I think what I saw was real." Andrew looks around, pulls up a chair and sets the clipboard down. He leans forward, elbows on knees, and gives her an intensely earnest look. "I'd like to know what you saw." "It was all over the news. I stabbed a man in the heart." "Why would you do that?" "Because it was God's will."

His eyes widen, "Did God talk to you?" Gloria smiles "No. I get the sense God's a little busy for house calls. No, he, he sent someone." "Someone?" "An angel. It came to me in this beautiful white light, and it filled me with this feeling. It's, it's hard to describe." "And this angel...?" "Spoke God's Word." "And the Word was to kill someone?" "I know, it sounds strange. But what I did was very important. I helped him smite an evil man. I was chosen. For redemption." "This man you stabbed, did the angel give you his name?"

She shakes her head "No, he just told me to wait for the sign. And the very next day I saw it, right beside the man's doorway. And I knew." "Why him?" "I just know what the angel told me: that this man was guilty to his deepest foundations. And that was good enough for me."

~MOTEL ROOM~

Averie is lying on the motel bed, which is vibrating, as she listens to music on her pod. As Andrew enters, she doesn't notice him. "Hey." he walks over, and hits her boot "Hey!" She turns her music down, "Hey. Man, you gotta try this, I mean there really is magic in the Magic Fingers." "Av, you're enjoying that way too much, it's kind of making me uncomfortable." "What am I supposed to do? I mean, you've got me on lockdown here, I'm bored out of my skull." "Hey, you were the bank robber on the eleven o'clock news, not me. We can't risk you just walking into a government facility." "Hmm."

Andrew waves a dismissing hand at Averie as he turns to go into the bathroom. The bed shutters to stillness, "Aw, damnit! That was my last quarter. Hey! You got any quarters?" She pulls her headphones off and gets up, crossing the room and leaning on the doorway to the bathroom where Andrew is washing his face. "No." he says, annoyed, "So did you get in to see that crazy hooker?" "Yeah. Gloria Sitnick. And I'm not so sure she's crazy." "But she seriously believes she was touched by an angel?" "Yeah. Blinding light, feelings of spiritual ecstasy, the works. I mean, she's living in a locked ward and she's totally at peace."

She rolls her eyes, "Oh yeah, you're right, that sounds completely sane. What about the dude she stabbed?" he turns to her "Uh, Carl Gully. She said she killed him because he was evil." "Was he?" "I don't know. I mean, I couldn't find any dirt on him. I mean, he didn't have a criminal record, he worked over at the campus library, had lots of friends, he was a churchgoer-'' "Hm. So then Gloria's just your standard-issue wacko. I mean, she wouldn't be the first nutjob in history to kill in the name of religion, know what I mean?"

She walks over and sits down at the table, he follows "No, but she's the second in town to murder because an angel told them to. Little odd, don't you think?" "Well, odd yes, supernatural maybe. But angels? I don't think so." "Why not?" "Because there's no such thing!" "Averie, there's ten times as much lore about angels as there is about anything else we've ever hunted." She laughs "Yeah, you know what? There's a ton of lore on unicorns too. In fact, I hear that they, they ride on silver moonbeams, and they shoot rainbows out of their ass." He sits down, total deadpan and says "Wait, there's no such thing as unicorns?"

"That's cute. I'm just saying, man, there's just some legends that you just, you file under "bullcrap"." "And you've got angels on the bullcrap list?" "Yep." she says, sighing. "Why?" "Because I've never seen one." he frowns "So what?" "So, I believe in what I can see." "Av! You and I have seen things that most people couldn't even dream about." "Exactly. With our own eyes, that's hard proof, okay? But in all this time I have never seen anything that looks like an angel. And don't you think that if they existed that we would have crossed paths with them? Or at least know someone that crossed paths with them? No. This is a-a demon or a spirit, you know, they find people a few fries short of a happy meal, and they trick them into killing these randoms."

Andrew looks at Averie as she looks at the ground, "Maybe. But Av, please try to have some faith." "Can we just — I'm going stir-crazy. Hey, let's go by Gloria's apartment, huh?" "I was just there. Nothing. No sulfur, no EMF." "You didn't see any fluffy white wing feathers?" she asks sarcastically. "But Gloria did say the angel gave her a sign, right beside Carl Gully's doorway." "Could be something at his house, worth checking out."

~GULLY HOUSE~

Averie is driving as they pull up in front of Carl Gully's house. It is a moderate single-family home with steps leading up to the front door; to the left of the door is a plastic angel figure. She mounts the steps and sees it, "Oh hey, Andrew. I think I found it. It's a sign from up above." she peers into the window "Well, I think I learned a valuable lesson: Always take down your Christmas decorations after New Year's, or you might get filleted by a hooker from God."

Andrew watches her walk back down the stairs "I'm laughing on the inside." he wanders around back, through a gate, and she follows; they find a wooden storm cellar. "You know, Gloria said the guy was guilty to his deepest foundations." he says, she looks at him "You think she meant literally the foundation?"

Andrew and Averie open the creaking door and go down the steps, shining flashlights. "Hmm." she mutters, Andrew notices scratches on a wall near the floor; he leans over to get a closer look. "Av." "You got something?" he digs at the wall and pulls something out. "What is it?" "It's a fingernail.." Averie pulls two shovels from the wall and they begin to dig. After a few hours, a deep pit has been completed to reveal a pile of skeletons. "So much for the innocent churchgoing librarian." he says, "Yeah, well, whatever spoke to Gloria about this knew what it was talking about, I'll give you that."

~ZACH'S APARTMENT. NIGHT~

A young man, Zach, is lying on a single bed, staring at the ceiling. He drinks from a bottle of liquor; a comic book entitled "Theseus" rests open on his chest. The room begins to shake violently, the lights flickering. More bottles tumble to the floor from the night stand, and the television topples with a crash. He scrambles out of bed frantically; a blinding light appears in front of him and he holds up a hand in terror; then awe washes over his features.

~STREET~

Zach walks down the sidewalk calmly, hands in his pockets; he sees the blinding light beside a house and stops, nodding and smiling. He approaches the house and knocks. A middle-aged man, Frank, opens the door. "Yes?" "Hi. My name is Zach." "Can I help you?" Zach pulls out a knife and stabs Frank through the heart. There is a stone angel to the left of the door - approximately where the blinding light had come from.

~MOTEL ROOM. MORNING~

Averie is sitting on the edge of the bed with a police radio in hand, listening. She looks at it, painfully bored "We've got a minor TA, involving a motorcycle and a, uh van, this is at the corner of 28th and Pine, 28th and Pine." As Andrew enters, Averie sighs and looks back at the "Magic Fingers" controller "Did you bring quarters?" he shakes his head "Dude, I'm not enabling your sick habit." he throws a sandwich to her "You're like one of those lab rats that pushes the pleasure button instead of the food button until it dies." she scoffs "What are you talking about? I eat. And I got news."

He sits down "Me too." "All right, you go first." she says, biting into her sandwich. "Three students have disappeared off the college campus in the last year. All of them were last seen at the library." "Where Carl Gully worked?" "Yep." "Sick bastard." "So Gloria's angel —" "Fake angel." He frowns "Okay. Whatever this thing is..." "Well, whatever it is, it's struck again."

"Wait, what?" she tosses the police radio to him "I was listening to the police radio before you got here; there was this guy, uh, Zach Smith, some local drunk; he went up to a stranger's front door last night, stabbed him in the heart." "And then I'm guessing he went to the police and confessed?" "Yep. Roma Downey made him do it." she crosses the room and pulls a sticky note off the mirror "Now, I, uh . . . I got the victim's address."

~FRANK'S HOUSE~

They climb over the fence into the yard and sneak in through the window. Andrew sits down at the computer as Averie searches the house, "Find anything?" he asks "Well, Frank liked his catalogue shopping, but that's about all I got." She turns to him, he nods "Not much here. Except he's got this one locked file on his computer, I can't . . . . hold on." he presses a few buttons "Not anymore. Oh God."

"What?" she walks up behind him, "Well, he's got all these emails. Dozens, to this lady named Jennifer...Who's thirteen years old." "I don't wanna hear this." "Looks like they met in a chat room. These emails are pretty personal, Av. Look at that. Setting up a time and place to meet." "Great.." she mutters. "They were supposed to meet today." "Huh. Well, I guess if you're gonna stab someone, good timing. I don't know, man, this is weird, you know? I mean, sure, some spirits are out for vengeance, but this one's almost like a do-gooder, you know? Like a-"

"Avenging Angel?" he says, she turns away "Well, how else do you explain it, Dean? Three guys, not connected to each other, all stabbed through the heart? At least two were world-class pervs, and I bet if you dug deep enough on the other guy —" "Hey." she picks something up, "What?" "You said Carl Gully was a churchgoer, right?" "Yeah?" "What was the name of his church?" "Uh, Our Lady of the Angels." "Of course that'd be the name." she holds up a flyer "Looks like Frank went to the Same church."

~OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS CHURCH~

Dean and Sam walk through the sanctuary of the church, speaking to a friendly-looking priest, Father Reynolds. "So you're interested in joining the parish?" Father Reynolds asks, Averie nods "Yeah, well, you know, we just don't feel right unless we hit church every Sunday." "Where'd you say you lived before?" Andrew glances at her, "Uh, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania." "Yeah.." Father Reynolds smiles "Really? That's a nice town. St. Andrew Parish, you must know the priest there." "Sure, yeah, no it's uh, Father O'Malley." "Hmm, I know a Father Behm."

"Behm, exactly. What'd I say?" Averie says, nervous, "You know, we're just happy to be here now, Father." Andrew says. "And we're happy to have you, we could use some young blood around here." "Hey, listen, I gotta ask — no offense, but uh, the neighborhood?" "Well, it's gone to seed a little, there's no denying that, but that's why what the church does here is so important. Like I always say, you can expect a miracle, but in the meantime you work your butt off." She nods, "Huh. Yeah, we heard about the murders." Father Reynolds looks sad "Yes. The victims were parishioners of mine, I'd known them for years."

"And the killers said that an angel made them do that?" Andrew asks, "Yes. Misguided souls, to think that God's messenger would appear and incite people to murder. It's tragic." "So you don't believe in those angel yarns?" Averie asks. Father Reynolds chuckles "Oh, no, I absolutely believe. Kind of goes with the job description." Andrew looks over at a painting at the wall "Father, that's Michael, right?" "That's right. The archangel Michael, with the flaming sword. The fighter of demons, holy force against evil."

"So they're not really the Hallmark card version that everybody thinks? They're fierce, right? Vigilant?" he says, "Well, I like to think of them as more loving than wrathful; but yes, a lot of Scripture paints angels as God's warriors. "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, the glory of the Lord shone down upon them, and they were terrified."." Andrew nods, Averie looks confused "Luke. 2;9."

~OUTSIDE THE CHURCH~

"Well, thank you for speaking with us, Father." Andrew says, "Oh, it's my pleasure. Hope to see you again." Averie notices a tribune of items at the bottom on the stairs. "Hey, Father, what's, what is all that for?" "Oh, that's for Father Gregory. He was a priest here." "Was?" "He passed away right on these steps. He's interred in the church crypt." "When did this happen?" "Two months ago. He was shot for his car keys." "I'm so sorry." "Yeah, me too. He was a good friend. I didn't even have time to administer his last rites. But like I said, it's a tough neighborhood. Ever since he died I've been praying my heart out." "For what?"

"For deliverance, from the violence and the bloodshed around here. We could use a little divine intervention, I suppose." he says, Andrew nods and Averie looks at him "Well, Padre, thanks. We'll see you again." Fr. Reynolds goes back inside; Averie and Andrew investigate the shrine. "Well, it's all starting to make sense. Devoted priest dies a violent death? That's vengeful spirit material right there. And he knew all the other stiffs, because they went to church here, in fact I'm willing to bet that because he was their priest, he knew things about them that nobody else knew." she says, he shifts uncomfortably "Then again, Father Reynolds started praying for God's help about two months ago, right? Right about the time all this started happening?"

"Aw, come on, man, what's your deal?" she turns to him, "What do you mean?" "Look, I'll admit I'm a bit of a skeptic, but since when are you all Mr. 700 Club? No, seriously. From the get-go you've been willing to buy this angel crap, man. I mean, what's next, are you going to start praying every day?" he frowns, "I do." "What?" "I pray every day. I have for a long time." She looks at him startled, "The things you learn about a guy. Huh. Come on, let's go check out Father Gregory's grave."

~CHURCH CRYPT. EVENING~

The crypt is a maze of stone hallways, with numerous stone angel figurines. They wander through slowly, Averie a little ahead of Andrew. As Averie goes into another room, he stops, looking back at one of the angels. He frowns as it, and then the entire room, begins to shake. A brilliant light appears behind him and he turns, confusion washing away to a look of awe.

Averie hurries back into the room, "Andrew, come on, get the lead out." She sees him in a dead faint on the floor, and rushes over. "Andy? Andy! Hey!" she kneels and grabs him, he jerks awake "You okay?" "Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay." he says, staring at the stone angel, stunned. "Come on." she hauls Andrew to his feet and guides him into the sanctuary, a hand on his arm, and shuts the door behind them. "You saw it, didn't you? Didn't you?" "Yeah. Yeah. Av, I saw an angel."

"You..?" he sits as she pulls out a flask, unscrews it and hands it to him "All right. Here." "I don't want a drink." She takes a sip, "So. What makes you think you saw a, uh, angel?" "It just, it appeared before me and I just, this feeling washed over me, you know? Like, like peace. Like grace." he smiles softly, "Okay, Ecstasy Boy, maybe we'll get you some glow sticks and a nice Dr. Seuss hat, huh?" "Averie, I'm serious. It spoke to me, it knew who I was." "It's just a spirit, Andrew. Okay? And it's not the first one to be able to read people's minds."

She sits down next to him, "Okay, let me guess. You were personally chosen to smite some sinner, you've just got to wait for some divine bat signal, is that it?" "Yeah, actually." "Great. I don't suppose you asked what this alleged bad guy did?" "Actually I did, Av. And the angel told me. He hasn't done anything. Yet. But he will." "Oh, this is, this is . . . I don't believe this." Averie gets up and starts pacing "The angel hasn't been wrong yet! Someone's going to do something awful, and I can stop it!" Andrew yells at her. "You know, you're supposed to be bad too, maybe, maybe I should just stop you right now."

"You know what? I don't understand! Why can't you even consider the possibility —" "What, that this is an angel?" "Yes! Maybe we're hunting an angel here, and we should stop! Maybe this is God's will!" She looks at him sadly "Okay, all right. You know what? I get it. You've got faith. That's — hey, good for you. I'm sure it makes things easier. I'll tell you who else had faith like that — mom. She used to tell me when she tucked me in that angels were watching over us. In fact, that was the last thing she ever said to me."

"You never told me that." he frowns, "Well, what's to tell? She was wrong. There was nothing protecting her. There's no higher power, there's no God. I mean, there's just chaos, and violence, and random unpredictable evil that comes out of nowhere and rips you to shreds. You want me to believe in this stuff? I'm going to need to see some hard proof. You got any?" he looks at her in sadness "Well, I do. Proof that we're dealing with a spirit."

-

Father Gregory's tombstone is covered in creeping vines; Averie and Andrew crouch before it. He looks at it "That looks like—" "It's wormwood. Plant associated with the dead; specifically the ones that are not at rest. I don't see it growing anywhere else, except over the murdered priest's marker. It's him." "Maybe." "Maybe?" "Av, I don't know what to think." "Okay. You want some more proof? I'll give you more proof." she says, getting up. "How?" he asks, looking up "We'll summon Gregory's spirit." "What? Here? In the church?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we just need a few odds and ends, and that séance ritual in Dad's journal." she says, he chuckles "Oh, a séance, great. Hope Whoopi's available." "That's funny, actually. Seriously. If Father Gregory's spirit is around, a séance will bring him right to us. If it's him, then we'll put him to rest." "But if it's an angel, it won't show. Nothing will happen." "Exactly. That's one of the perks of the job, Andrew: we don't have to operate on faith. We can know for sure. Don't you want to know for sure?" he smiles softly and nods.

~STREET. NIGHT~

Averie and Andrew leave a small grocery store, Andrew holding a paper sack and smiling. "I'll admit we've gone pretty strange with spellwork before, but this takes the cake. I mean, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle placemat instead of an altar cloth?" he says, she shrugs "We'll just put it Turtle side down." He laughs, then stops in shock, staring at something across the street: a young man holding a bunch of flowers; a bright white light glows behind him.

"Averie, that's it." "What?" she turns to him, he continues staring "That's the sign!" "Where?" "Right there, right behind that guy! That's him. We have to stop him." he says, she looks over. The young man crosses the street; Andrew starts to go after him but Averie stops him. "Wait a minute." "What are you doing? Let me go!" he yells, hitting her arm. "You're not going to go kill somebody because a ghost told you to, are you insane?" "Averie, I'm not insane, I'm not going to kill him. I'm going to stop him."

"Define "stop", huh? I mean, what are you going to do?" "Please, he's going to hurt someone, you know it." "All right, come on." The young man has gotten into a car and starts it up, pulling away. Averie gets in the driver side of the Impala and starts it; Andrew tries to get in the other side but the door is locked. "Averie. Unlock my door." "You're not killing anyone, Andrew. I got this guy, you go do the séance." "Averie!"

She pulls away, following the young man at a short distance. The man stops at a corner and gets out with the bunch of flowers, handing them to a woman waiting on the corner. They get in the car and drive off again.

~CHURCH CRYPT~

Kneeling before Gregory's grave, Andrew has the spell materials spread out: a circle of small white candles, a large black candle, the placemat, and the Journal. He lights the candles, picks up the Journal, and reads. "Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus, te oramus nobiscum colloquere aput nos circita." he sprinkles some herb on the black candle and it flares once, brightly.

"What are you doing? What is this?" Fr. Reynolds asks, entering "Uh, Father, please. I can explain. Um . . . actually, maybe I can't. Um. This is a-a séance." "A séance? Young man, you are in the House of God." "It's based on early Christian rites, if that helps any-" "Enough. You're coming with me." "Father, please, you, just wait a second!"

As Fr. Reynolds pulls him to the exit, a familiar bright glow builds behind them. They turn, Fr. Reynolds in awe, Andrew in disappointment. "Oh my god! Is that, is that an angel?" "No, it's not. It's just Father Gregory." The bright glow dims and coalesces to reveal a young priest, Father Gregory. "Thomas?!" Fr. Reynolds says, "I've come in answer to your prayers." Andrew approaches Gregory's spirit cautiously. "Andrew. I thought I sent you on your path. You should hurry." "Father, I'm sorry. But you're not an angel." "Of course I am."

Andrew shakes his head, "No. You're a man. You're a spirit. And you need to rest." "I was a man. But now I'm an angel. I was on the steps of the church. And I felt that bullet pierce right through me. But there was no pain. And suddenly I could see . . .everything. Father Reynolds, I saw you, praying and crying here. I came to help you." "Help me how?" Fr. Reynolds asks, watching him.

He frowns, Fr. Reynolds looks sadly "Those murders — that was because of you?" "I received the Word of God. He spoke to me, told me to smite the wicked. I'm carrying out his will." "You're driving innocent people to kill." "Those innocent people are being offered redemption. Some people need redemption. Don't they, Andrew?" Andrew looks at Fr. Gregory, then at Fr. Reynolds. "How can you call this redemption?" "You can't understand it now. But the rules of man and the rules of God are two very different things."

"Those people. They're locked up." Andrew says, Fr. Gregory chuckles "No, they're happy. They've found peace, beaten their demons. And I've given them the keys to heaven." "No. No, this is vengeance, it's wrong. Thomas, this goes against everything you believe. You're lost, misguided." "No, I'm not misguided." "You are not an angel, Thomas. Men cannot be angels." "But . . . but I don't understand. You prayed for me to come." "I prayed for God's help. Not this. What you're doing is not God's will. "Thou shalt not kill". That's the word of God!"

~ALLEY~

The supposedly evil young man stops the car; the young woman holding the flowers looks confused, smiles nervously. "How come we stopped?" he smiles back more nervously, his eye twitching. He leans over suddenly and kisses her. She fends him off with a laugh, "Um, weren't we going to go to the movies? We should go, or we're going to be late." He suddenly hits her, hard, across the face, she yelps in shock.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, it's just, I've never done this before." She tries to get out of the car, but he locks the door and she scrabbles uselessly at the handle. "I said I was sorry!" "Please!" he pulls out a knife and lunges at her with the knife; she tries to fight him off. They struggle for a few seconds, "No! Stop!"

The window shatters behind his head; Averie reaches in, and slams his face into the steering wheel. She unlocks the doors and the woman gets out; she tumbles over the hood to reach Averie, grabbing her shoulders frantically. "Are you okay? Are you okay?!" "Thank you.." behind them, the man starts the car and speeds off, "Damn it! Are you sure you're okay? Do you have a cell phone?" she nods, crying "Okay. Call 9-1-1." Averie runs off to the Impala and gets in, chasing the man.

~CHURCH CRYPT~

Fr. Gregory is staring, bewildered, at his own headstone. He turns to face Fr. Reynolds and Andrew, "Let us help you." "No!" "It's time to rest, Thomas, to be at peace. Please, let me give you Last Rites." Fr. Gregory nods in resignation; Fr. Reynolds lifts his hands in prayer. "Oh Holy Host, I call upon thee as a servant of Christ to sanctify our actions this day, in fulfillment of the will of God." he gasps as Fr. Gregory flickers like a distorted image "Father Reynolds?" Fr. Gregory kneels.

Fr. Reynolds holds a hand over his forehead "I call upon the archangel Gabriel, Master of the Air, to make open the way. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit now descend; that this being might be awakened to the world beyond." Fr. Gregory does the bright holy glow again, then vanishes. Fr. Reynolds lowers his hand in awe, Andrew stands there sadly.

~STREET~

Chasing the evil young man at a more frantic rate now, Averie grips the steering wheel tightly. They cut across lanes, over grass, and generally cause mayhem; at a cross-street, a small pickup truck carrying long metal pipes screeches to a halt in front of the man's car. A pipe spins off the truck bed, bouncing once on the ground and plowing straight through his windshield. It impales him straight through the chest. She stops the car in shock and gets out, "Holy shit.."

~MOTEL ROOM. SUNRISE~

"How was your night?" Averie asks as she packs a bag, turning to Andrew "You were right. It wasn't an angel, it was Gregory." She pulls the flask from her inner pocket, takes a drink, then, considering, offers it to him. He takes it, sitting on the bed "I don't know, Av, I just . . .I wanted to believe, so badly. It's so damn hard to do this, what we do. All alone, you know? There's so much evil out there in the world, I feel like I could drown in it. And when I think about my destiny, when I think about how I could end up."

She sits down next to him "Yeah, well, don't worry about that. All right? I'm watching out for you." "Yeah, I know you are. But you're just one person. And I needed to think that there was something else watching too, you know? Some higher power. Some greater good. And that maybe . . ." "Maybe what?" "Maybe I could be saved..But, uh, you know, that just clouded my judgement, and you're right. I mean, we've gotta go with what we know, with what we can see, with what's right there in front of our own two eyes."

"Yeah, well, it's funny you say that." she says, looking up at him sadly. "Why?" "Gregory's spirit gave you some pretty good information. That guy in the car was bad news. I barely got there in time." "What happened?" "He's dead." "Did..you?" "No. But I'll tell you one, thing. If . . .the way he died, if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes I never would have believed it. I mean, I don't know what to call it." "What? Av, what did you see?" "Maybe . . . God's will."


	14. Born Under a Bad Sign

~UNDERPASS.DAY~  
  
Averie is on her cell phone, leaning against the car. She is fidgeting, clearly upset "Natalie, it's me again. Any chance you've heard from him? I swear, it's like looking for my dad all over again. I'm losing my mind here. I've called him a thousand times, there's nothing but voicemail. I don't know where he went, or why. Andrew's just gone." her phone starts beeping. The phone shows another incoming call - Andrew's cell.

She quickly answers it, "Andy? Where the hell are you? Are you okay?" "Avie, I really need your help..Please just help. I'm scared." "Calm down. Where are you?" "Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. I'm in a motel.." "All right, don't move, I'm on my way." she hangs up and gets into the Impala.

~MOTEL ROOM. TWIN LAKES, WISCONSIN~

Averie walks frantically down a narrow hallway, checking door numbers until she reaches room 109. She knocks "Andrew?! Andy, it's me!" she tries the door - it's open. Inside, Andrew hasn't moved, sitting numbly on one bed. "Andrew? Hey, what happened?" "Avie.." she kneels beside him "Are you bleeding?" "I tried to wash it off." She grabs at the blood soaked cloth and starts looking for a wound, "Oh my god.." "I don't think it's my blood." "Whose is it?" "I don't know.."

"Andrew, what the hell happened?" he starts crying "I don't remember anything." She looks up at him "Hey, Hey, It's going to be alright." he hugs her tightly. She frowns "You're alright, we'll figure this out."

-

Averie returns to the room, carrying a grocery bag. Andrew has changed clothes and is looking a little less out of it. "What'd you find out?" he asks, "You checked in two days ago under the name Richard Sambora. Of course, I think the scariest part about this whole thing is the fact that you're a Bon Jovi fan-" "Averie." "Your room's been quiet, nobody's noticed anything unusual." "You mean no one saw me walking around covered in blood?" "Yeah. That's what I mean."

He sighs "Then how the hell did I get here? What happened to me?" "I don't know. But you're, you're okay, and that's what matters. Everything else we can deal with." "Oh really? 'Cause what if I hurt someone? Or worse?" "Andrew-" "What if this is what Dad warned you about?" "Hey, whoa, whoa, come on man, let's not jump the gun here. We don't know what happened. We've just got to treat this like, like any other job. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Just me and you, just, in that motel room in West Texas, going out to grab some burgers, and..." "West Texas? That was, that was over a week ago." "That's it. Next thing I knew I was sitting here. Bloody. Felt like I'd been asleep for a month." "Okay. Retrace your steps. The manager said you left yesterday afternoon and he never saw you come back, so-" she pulls back the curtain and sees a bloody fingerprint.

~OUTSIDE~

They walk outside the motel. It's daylight, but raining. "Recognize anything?" "Not really." they go towards a parking garage out back "Wait." "What?" "I think I was here." she glances at him "You remember?" "Not really, it just feels familiar, you know?" She shrugs, and goes to the nearest garage. He looks over to the second, "Try that one. Yeah." "Okay." she starts tugging at the padlock.

"Wait." he digs in his pocket, frowning. He pulls out a key, gives her a significant look, she opens the padlock with the key, raising her eyebrows at him. She pulls the garage door open to reveal a filthy, beat-up VW Beetle, "Oh please tell me you didn't steal this garbage." he fidgets. They go into the garage and open both doors of the car, Andrew on the driver's side. He touches the wheel, shows Averie his stained finger.

"You think I used this on someone?" "I'm not thinking anything." He looks around, rubbing the knife handle off on the inside of his jacket. She picks up a pack of cigarettes, "Okay now, this is disturbing. Come on, man, this couldn't have been you. Had to have been someone else, someone who," she smells the pack "smokes menthols." He holds up a balled up paper "Here. Gas receipt. Few towns over."

~GAS STATION~

Andrew and Averie pull up in front of a small gas station, she reads the receipt "Receipt's for ten gallons at pump number two. You getting any, uh, any goosebumps yet? God, this looks familiar, deja vu vibes?" He shakes his head "Maybe someone inside will remember you. Come on." They go into the convenience store; the clerk looks up in shock, then anger. "You. Outta here now, I'm calling the cops." she looks at him confused "You talkin to him?" "Yeah, I'm talking to him. Jerk comes in yesterday, stinking drunk, grabs a forty from the fridge, starts chugging it."

"This guy? You're drinking malt liquor?" she turns to him, the clerk shakes his head "Not after he whipped the friggin' bottle at my head!" "This guy?" "What, am I speaking Urdu?" Andrew steps forward "Look, I'm really sorry if I did anything-" "Tell your story walkin', pal. Po-po will be here in five." Averie sighs "Wait, wait, put the phone down. Andrew, go wait in the car." "But Av-" "Go wait in the car!"

He frowns and leaves, "Okay, look. I just want to talk to you, that's it. Okay?" the clerk hangs up. "Now, when he took off yesterday, where did he go?" "Why don't you ask him?" "'Cause I'm asking you. Now please, you'd be doing me a huge favor." "Oh, do you a favor? Well, that is what I live for. You know, your buddy didn't pay for the booze. Okay? Or the smokes, which he also illegally lit up." She looks at him sadly "You saw him smoking?"

"Yeah. Guy's a chimney." Averie clears her throat and pulls her wallet out, places some bills on the desk "This, uh, ought to cover it." "Hmm. It's, uh, it's coming back to me now. He took two packs." "Of course he did.." she pulls out more money. "He went north. Route 71, straight out of town." she nods, grabs two candy bars and leaves with a smirk.

~ROAD. NIGHT~

Averie drives down a dark road, Andrew is staring out the window. "What's going on with you? Hm? 'Cause smoking, throwing bottles at people, I mean, that sounds more like me than you." "Av, wait, right here. Turn down that road." "What?" "I don't know how I know, I just do." Dean turns down a back road and onto a private property. It is a large house with plenty of emergency lighting and security cameras outside.

"Whoever lives here, I'd say they don't like surprises." he mutters, "Should we knock?" "Yeah, I guess." She knocks on the front door while he pokes around the corner, "Av." he waves his flashlight at a window; it is broken, the ledge covered in shattered glass. "I'm surprised the cops didn't show. Place like this you'd think it'd have an alarm." he sees a disabled alarm on the wall "Yeah, you would."

They go into the house; the floor is covered in broken glass and scattered items. In a back room, they come across a body on the floor. "Get the lights." she says, Andrew turns the lights on as Averie kneels behind the body. She places a hand on it and turns it over; it is a middle-aged man with a deeply cut throat; he is dead, his eyes staring. She puts a hand over her own mouth; Andrew looks horrified.

"Averie, I did this.." "We don't know that." "What else do you need? I mean, how else do you explain the car, the knife, the blood." "I don't know, man, why don't you tell me? Look, even if you did do this I'm sure you had a good reason; you know, self-defense, uh, he was, he was a bad son of a bitch, something." He sees a lock on the closet "I need your lock pick." "What?" "I need your lockpick."

Andrew takes the lockpick and opens a double-door closet in the room. Inside the room, one wall is covered in firearms, the others in charts and clippings. Averie walks up behind him, "Either this guy's a Unabomber-" "Or a hunter." he looks at her terrified "Av, I think I killed a hunter." She looks up and sees a security camera on the ceiling "Well, let's look."

-

Andrew is sitting in front of the desktop computer, Averie standing behind. He cues up the security tape, On the tape, Andrew is fighting the same man who lies dead on the floor behind them. The fight moves off camera and he drags the man back into the frame; he kneels, the man pulled up against his legs, and slits his throat. He stares in shock as she pulls back from the screen and stands straight.

Andrew stays sitting at the computer desk, staring at a page in his hand; Averie bustles around behind him, cleaning up. "How do you erase this? Huh? Andrew, come on, I need your help!" "I killed him. I just broke in and killed him." "Listen to me. Whoever this guy is, he's a hunter. Which means that other hunters are going to come looking for his killer, which means we've got to cover our tracks, okay?" "His name was Steve Wandell. This is a letter from his daughter."

Averie looks from Andrew to the letter, then makes a decision. She grabs the CPU, lifts it above her head, and smashes it to the floor, stomping it for good measure. "Wipe your prints, then we go."

~MOTEL ROOM. EVENING~

Andrew follows Averie into the motel room. "All right, we get a couple hours sleep and then we put this place in our rearview mirror. Look, I know this is bad, okay? You've gotta snap out of it. Say something!" "Just get some sleep and leave in the morning? Murder, Averie. That's what I did." "Maybe. Okay? Hey, we don't know... shapeshifter!" "Oh, come on. You know it wasn't, you saw the tape. There was no eye flare, no distortion-" "Yeah, but it wasn't you! All right? I mean, yeah, it might have been you, but it wasn't you." "Well, I think it was. I think maybe more than you know."

"What the hell does that mean?" she says, "For the last few weeks I've been having... I've been having these feelings." he sits down on the bed. "What feelings?" "Rage. Hate. And I can't stop it. It just gets worse. Day by day it gets worse." She sits next to him "You never told me this." "I didn't want to scare you." "Well, bang-up job on that." "Averie, the yellow-eyed demon, you know he has plans for me. And we both know that he's turned other children into killers before, too." he says, sadly.

"No one can control you but you." Averie says, Andrew chuckles "It sure doesn't seem like that, it feels like no matter what I do, slowly but surely I'm, I'm just becoming..." "What?" "Who I'm meant to be. I mean, you said it once yourself, Av. I gotta face up to who I am." "I didn't mean this!" she yells starting to tear up. "But it's still true. You know that. Dad knew that too, that's why he told you, if it ever came to this . . ." "Shut up."

"Averie, you promised him. You promised me." "No. Listen to me. We're going to figure this out. Okay? I mean, there's got to be a way, right?" "Yeah, there is." he takes a gun out of the duffel bag and hands it to her. He looks at her "I don't want to hurt anyone else. I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't. Whatever this is, you can fight it!" "No. I can't. Not forever. You gotta do it." They stare at each other for a long moment; then Andrew grabs Averie's right hand and places the gun in it. She doesn't move, just stares at him in shock "You know, I've tried so hard to keep you safe." she starts crying, he nods "I know." "I can't. I'd rather die."

She drops the gun on the bed and walks past him. "No. You'll live." he picks up the gun as she turns to face him. "Andy, please don't." he looks at her "You'll regret this." he pistol-whips her, she falls to the floor unconscious.

-

Averie awakens to realize that she is on the floor of the motel room; the motel manager, who has been knocking, opens the door. "Hey. It's past your checkout." she says, Averie gets up "What?" "It's past checkout, and I've got a couple here, needs your room." She looks up and sees an embarrassed businessman and a woman "I'll bet they do. What time is it?" "Twelve-thirty." "That guy who was with me, have you seen him?"

"Yeah, he left before dawn in your car, and you should have gone with him, because now I'm going to have to charge you extra." "Son of a.." "It's just policy, Miss." "I need to use your computer." "Now, why would I let you use my computer?"

~MOTEL LOBBY~

The manager is counting a stack of cash, as Averie talks on the phone behind her, in front of a desktop computer. "Hi, uh, so sorry to bother you, but uh, my son snuck out of the house last night and, uh, went to a Justin Timberlake concert." "A, uh, Justin Timberlake concert?" "Yeah. No, Justin is quite the triple threat. Uh, anyway, he's not back yet, and, and I'm just, I'm starting to worry." "Boys will be boys. But, why do you need to track his phone?"

"Right. Yeah, boys will be boys. But see," she thinks of a lie "Andy is a diabetic, and uh, if he doesn't get his insulin, I just, I have to find him. Please, I'm begging you. Yeah, no, no, no, I"m on the web site right now, I just need to activate the GDS in his cell phone." She enters a code "Yeah, right there. Duluth, Minnesota. Yeah, that is a long way to go for a concert. I appreciate your help."

~BAR. DULUTH MINNESOTA. NIGHT~

Jacob is scrubbing the bar and saying goodnight to some customers, "Good night, thank you." Andrew walks in. He doesn't look at him "Sorry, we're closing up." "How about just one for the road?" He turns around "Well, you're about the last person I'd expect to see." "I guess I'm full of surprises. So can I get a beer?" "Sure." Jacob brings a bottle of beer over and sets it down on the bar firmly, then turns away, bustling over cleaning up the bar.

"So how'd you find me?" Andrew shrugs "Well, uh, it's kind of what we do, you know?" "Speaking of 'we', where's Averie?" "Couldn't make it." "So what are you doing here? I mean, we didn't exactly part on the best of terms." "Right. Um, well, that's why I'm here. I kind of, I wanted to see if we could square things, you know?" As Andrew takes off his jacket, Jacob notices a circular burn mark with a short line through it on his forearm.

"That looks like it hurts." he says, "No. No, just, just had a run-in with a hot stove." he continues looking at it. "So you were saying something about squaring things?" "Yeah. Um. Look, I know how you feel about my dad. And I can't say I blame you. He was obsessed. consumed with hunting; and he didn't care who got caught in the cross-fire. And I guess that included your dad. But that was my father, that's not me." "What about Averie?"

"Well, Averie's more like my father than I am, but...Boy. You're really carrying a torch for her, aren't you?" he shifts uncomfortably, Andrew chuckles "I'll take that as a yes. It's too bad. 'Cause see, Averie, she likes you, sure, but not in the way you'd want. I mean, maybe as kind of a . . . a brother, you know? But romance — that's just out of the question, she- She kind of thinks you're a schoolboy, you know? I'm not trying to hurt you, Jacob, I, I'm telling you because I care."

Jacob looks at him upset "Well, that's real kind of you." "I mean it. I care about you alot." he places his hand on Jacob's, possessively. "Andrew, what's going on?" "I can be more to you, Jacob.." "Maybe you should leave." he glares at him "Okay." He shoves his hand away and stands to leave; Jacob turns to face the bar, leaning on it heavily. Suddenly Andrew walks back, grabbing him from behind and manhandling him.

"Andrew, get off me! Andrew, get off me! Andrew!" he closes his right hand on a beer bottle, but before he can hit him with it he grabs his wrist and slams it onto the bar, shattering the bottle. "Jacob, Jacob, Jacob." he shoves him around until he faces the bar and pins him there, left hand over his wrist, right hand in his hair. "Andrew, no, no! Please! Please!" He slams Jacob's forehead into the bar; he passes out, and he lifts him carefully to lie on the bar, stroking his hair in a disturbingly gentle manner.

-

Andrew is tying Jacob in a sitting position to a wide wooden post. He slowly wakes up, "What the hell is going on? What are you doing?" "So what exactly did your mom tell you about how your dad died?" "You're not Andrew." "Don't be so sure about that. Answer the question." Jacob says nothing; Andrew sighs heavily and goes around to the other side; he sits in front of him, leaning in, his expression shifting to one of open concern. He pulls out a large knife and strokes Jacob's face with it, "Come on. It's me. You can tell me anything, you know that. Answer. The. Question."

"Our dads were in California: Devil's Gate Reservoir. They were setting a trap for some kind of Hell spawn. Ethan was hiding, waiting, and my dad was bait." he says, Andrew laughs "That's just like Ethan. Oh, I'll bet he dangled him like meat on a hook. Then what?" "The thing showed up. Ethan got too eager, jumped out too soon, got my dad exposed out in the open. The thing turned around and killed him." "Hmm, not quite." he says, leaning in "What?" "What? Oh. See, it hurt him. It didn't kill him. You really don't know the truth, do you? I'll bet your mom doesn't either."

He sits in front of him again, Jacob looks at him "Know what?" "You see, your father was all clawed up. Holding his insides in his hands. He was gurgling and praying to see you and Natalie one more time. So my dad . . . killed him. Put him out of his misery like a sick dog." "You're lying!" "I'm not, it's true. My daddy shot your daddy in the head.." he says the last part in a singsong way. "How could you know that?" "I hear things." Andrew stands and stabs the knife into the pillar, just above head level.

"Why are you doing this to me?!" Jacob yells, "Like Daddy like son. You're bait. Open up." he shoves a knotted rag in his mouth and ties it around his neck. "Atta boy." the door bursts open and Averie enters, gun out. "Andrew!" he grabs the knife from the pillar, his calm expression shifting to one of desperate panic, and places the knife at Jacob's throat. "I begged you to stop me, Avie."

"Put the knife down, damnit!" "I told you I can't fight it! My head feels like it's on fire, all right?! Kill me, or I'm going to kill him. Please. You'd be doing me a favor! Shoot me." he stands up and stands in front of her "Shoot me!" "No, Andy, come on." she turns away, tearing up, putting the gun down. "What the hell's wrong with you, Averie? Are you that scared of being alone that you'd rather let Jacob die?"

Averie turns suddenly, flinging water from a flask at Andrew; the water hisses and steams as it strikes him. "That's holy water, you demonic son of a bitch!" Andrew raises his head; his eyes are the solid black of a demon's. She flings more holy water at him; he growls, turns and runs, bursting through a window and fleeing. She takes the knife and cuts Jacob free; he pulls the gag out of his mouth as she runs towards the shattered window. "He was possessed?!" Averie looks at him for a moment before dropping out the window.

~WAREHOUSE~

Averie and Possessed-Andrew stalk each other through a dim, crowded warehouse, each with a handgun. During the following they never see each other directly, instead hiding stealthily behind piles and boxes and shouting at each other. "So who are you?" "I got lots of names." "You've been in Andrew since he disappeared, haven't you?" "You should have seen your face when you thought he murdered that guy. Pathetic." "Why didn't you kill me? You had a dozen chances."

Possessed-Andrew cackles "No, that would have been too easy. Where's the fun in that? See, this was a test. Wanted to see if I could push you far enough to waste Andrew. Should have known you wouldn't have the sac. Anyway. Fun's over now." "Well, I hope you got your kicks. Because you're gonna pay hell for this, I'm gonna make sure of that." "How? You can't hurt me. Not without hurting your little brother. See, I think you're gonna die, Averie. You and every other hunter I can find. One look as Andrew's dewey, sensitive eyes? They'll let me right in their door."

He leads her outside, to an open-air dock. Once she's out in the open, looking around, he steps out, takes aim, and shoots Averie, hitting her in the shoulder. She collapses into the water with a splash; Possessed-Andrew stalks to the edge and peers over where she fell; he smiles.

~DOCKS. HOUR LATER~

Jacob walks quickly through the docks, a flashlight in one hand and his cell phone in the other; he's calling Averie, and her voicemail picks up: This is Averie Walker. Leave a message. He hangs up the phone with a sigh and continues searching. Moments later he calls again, and this time hears Averie's ringtone coming from below him, by the water. He runs down to where she is lying unconscious at the bottom of a ramp.

"Averie?! Averie!" she starts coughing, "Take it easy." He helps her sit up, she shudders "Where's Andrew?" "I don't know, I've been looking for you. Come on, get up." He helps her to stand, and she leans on him heavily, clutching his shoulder, as they walk back to the bar.

~BAR~

Averie is seated at a table, gripping the edge with her right hand as Jacob digs the bullet out of her left shoulder. She's groaning loudly, "Don't be a baby!" he yells, "God.." "Almost. All right, got it. Got it." He drops the bloodstained bullet in a glass of clear alcohol. Averie takes a few healthy swigs from a bottle of whiskey, "God, you're a butcher!" "You're welcome." "All right, are we done?"

He turns to her holding gauze and tape "Would you give me two minutes to patch you up? You can't help Andrew if you're bleeding to death." He starts layering gauze and tape over the wound "So, how did you know? That he was possessed?" "Uh, I didn't, I just knew that it couldn't have been him." "Hey-" "Yeah?" "I know demons lie, but do they ever tell the truth too?" She looks at him confused, "Uh, um, yeah, sometimes, I guess. Especially if they know it'll mess with your head. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. Doesn't matter. So do you have any idea where he's headed to next?" "Well, so far he's been going after the nearest hunter, so . . . the closest one I know lives in South Dakota." "Okay good, I'm done. Let's go." he stands up. She looks at him "Yeah. You're not coming." "The hell I'm not. I'm a part of this now." "I can't say it more plain than this. You try to follow me and I'll tie you right back to that post and leave you here. This is my fight. I'm not getting your blood on my hands. That's just how it's gonna be."

She starts walking away, "Wait." she turns back, he tosses her a prescription bottle "Take these, they'll help with the pain." "Thanks. I'll call you later, okay?" He nods, after she leaves he turns back to the bar "No you won't.."

~HOUSE. SIOUX FALLS, NORTH DAKOTA~

Andrew walks slowly up the steps to the house and knocks on the door. It's opened to reveal Dean. "Andrew! Long time no see." "Hey, Dean." "Well, come on in." He smiles sheepishly as Dean leads him in, he enters slowly, glancing at the ceiling, and shuts the door behind them. They walk together into Dean's study, which is dimly lit and covered wall to wall with stacks of books and papers.

"So what brings you?" "Working a job nearby, and thought I'd stop in and say hey." "It's nice to see you, but, where's Averie? You two are always sticking together." "Holed up somewhere with a girl and a twelve pack." Dean laughs and goes into the kitchen "Oh yeah? She pretty?" He looks up at the ceiling, his eyes go black for a moment. "You ask me, she's in way over her head."

Dean returns with a beer in each hand; he hands one to him, "To Ethan." 'Andrew' raises his bottle "To Dad." They toast and swig the beer, Andrew turning to look up at the ceiling again; as he swallows the beer he chokes suddenly, falling to his hands and knees and hiss-coughing painfully. Dean sips his beer, unconcerned. "What did you do?!" A little holy water in the beer. Andrew never would have noticed. But then, you're not Andrew are you. Don't try to con a con man." He punches Possessed-Andrew, knocking him out.

-

Possessed-Andrew is tied to a chair, before a fire and under the very same protective circle used in "Devil's Trap" on Demon Olivia. Averie smacks him in the face to wake him, "Hello you black eyed asshole." he looks up and sees the painted Devil's Trap "Averie. back from the dead. Getting to be a regular thing for you, isn't it? Like a cockroach." "How about I smack that smartass right out of your mouth?" "Oh, careful, now. Wouldn't want to bruise this fine packaging."

"Oh don't worry, this isn't gonna hurt Andrew much." she turns to pick up a bucket, "You, on the other hand." She tosses a bucketful of holy water on Possessed-Andrew, who sizzles and screams. "Feel like talking now?" "Andrew's still my meat puppet. I'll make him bite off his tongue!" "No, you won't be in him long enough. Dean."

"Exorcizamus te, omnes in mundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnes incursio ..." he starts, Averie talks over him "See, whatever bitch-boy master plan you demons are cooking up? You're not getting Andrew. You understand me? Because I'm gonna kill every one of you first." Possessed-Andrew struggles painfully, then throws back his head and cackles. Dean cuts off in sadness, "You really think that's what this is about? The master plan? I don't give a rat's ass about the master plan."

Dean looks away and continues "Humiliares sub potente magnu dei..." "Oops. Doesn't seem to be working. See, I learned a few new tricks. Spiritus in mundus un glorum suarum umitite palatum iram domine." The fire behind him flares and the room shakes as he continues, Averie looks at Dean "This isn't going like I pictured! What's going on, Dean?" He sees the burn mark on Andrew's arm, "It's a binding link! It's like a lock! He's locked himself inside Andrew's body!"

"What the hell do we do?" she says, panicked, "I-I don't know!" Andrew throws back his head and screams; the demon takes back over, the shaking walls and ceilings begin to crack, breaking the protective circle. Possessed-Andrew's eyes are black as he lowers his head, "There. That's better. Though, Andrew is quite the fighter."

He jerks his head left; Dean goes flying. He jerks his head right; Averie goes flying, landing heavily against the far wall. The holy water flask falls from her hand. He rips free of the restraints and stalks over to her. "You know when people want to describe the worst possible thing? They say it's like hell." He kneels in front of her, tightening his grip on Dean's shirt and clocking her hard with a right jab.

Averie grabs onto Andrew's shirt with her right hand, "You know there's a reason for that. Hell is like, um," he hits her again "Well, it's like hell. Even for demons." He punches her harder, she is groggy and bleeding heavily from her nose. "It's a prison, made of bone and flesh and blood and fear; And you sent me back there." She looks at him "Olivia.." "No. Not anymore. Now I'm Andrew." He hits her one last time; then digs his right thumb into the bullet wound.

She cries out in pain, trying to push his hand away "By the way. I saw your Dad there - he says "howdy"." he digs deeper "All that I had to hold onto was that I would climb out one day, and that I was going to torture you, nice and slow. Like pulling the wings off an insect." "Stop please, please." he shoves her hand away. "But whatever I do to you, it's nothing compared to what you'll do to yourself, is it? I can see it in your eyes, Averie. You're worthless. You couldn't save your Dad, and deep down you know that you can't save your brother. They'd have been better off without you."

Olivia rears back to hit Averie again; suddenly Dean is there, grabbing his arm. He presses a hot poker into the mark on his arm; he screams in pain, then again as black demon smoke billows out of him and up the chimney. Andrew falls back, scrabbling and looking around in confusion, then grabs his arm in sudden pain. Averie pulls herself up painfully, "A-Andy?" he looks at her. He pulls her into a hug, she hugs him back, she starts to tear up. Dean watches them sadly.  
-

Andrew is sitting behind Dean's table with an ice pack on his arm, Averie is on the other side of the table holding an ice pack to her face. "By the way, you really look like crap, Av." "Yeah, right back atcha." Dean walks in, concerned "What is it, Dean?" "You two ever hear of a hunter named Steve Wandell?" "Why do you ask?" "Just heard from a friend. Wandell's dead. Murdered in his own house. You wouldn't know anything about that."

Averie looks up "No sir, never heard of the guy." "Averie." Andrew says, Dean nods "Good. Keep it that way. Wandell's buddies are looking for someone or something to string up, and they're not going to slow down to listen to reason. You understand what I'm saying?" "We'd better hit the road. If, uh, you can remember where we parked the car." They get up, he stops them, "Here. Take these."

He hands them both a small charm, Andrew looks at his "What are they?" "Charms. They'll fend off possession. That demon's still out there; this'll stop it from getting back up in you." Averie nods "That sounds vaguely dirty, but uh, thanks." "You're welcome. You be careful now." "You too." Averie tosses her ice pack to him before shutting the door.

~ROAD. MIDNIGHT~

Averie is driving down a dark stretch of highway; Andrew is frowning, she glances over in concern. "You okay?" "I was awake for some of it, Av. I watched myself kill Wandell with my own two hands; I saw the light go out in his eyes." "That must have been awful." "That's not my point. I almost carved up Jacob too. But no matter what I did, you wouldn't shoot." "It was the right move, Andrew, it wasn't you."

He looks at her "Yeah, this time. What about next time?" she frowns "Andrew, when Dad told me that I might have to kill you, it was only if I couldn't save you. Now, if it's the last thing I do I'm going to save you." After a long moment of silence, she chuckles. "What?" "Nothing.." "What, Av?" "Dude, you, you like, full-on had a girl inside you for like a whole week. That's pretty naughty." She starts laughing, his frown cracks and he starts laughing with her.


	15. Tall Tales

~CRAWFORD HALL - NIGHT. SPRINGFIELD, OHIO~

A middle-aged man in a suit and overcoat walks towards an impressive university building. Outside, a young woman in a white dress is posed seductively, fixing her shoe. “Excuse me. Are you lost?” he asks, she turns to him “Don’t you recognize me?” “We-ell, they're big classes. Anyway, my office hours are Tuesday and Thursday mornings.” “Really? I was hoping I could see you now.” “Um, well, since you asked so nicely. Come on.”

~OFFICE~

“Such a handsome photo.” the girl says, looking at a framed picture. He chuckles “Oh, that old thing. So, what can I do for you? How's the paper coming?” “Um, professor, I, uh, I have a confession to make.” “Oh? What's that?” “I'm not really one of your students.” “Really? Then why are you here?” She looks at him suggestively, then gets nervous “Maybe I should just go.” He walks over to her “Wait. I get it. I understand how you're feeling, and it's only natural. You are young and wide-eyed, and I'm somewhat of a celebrity around here. Don't get me wrong, you're a very beautiful girl, but it would be wrong of me to take advantage of you. I just, um, I just respect you too much.”

He kisses her; her face turns hideously grey and rotted; he pulls back in horror. “Oh my god..” “What? Don't you like me anymore? Don't you want me?” Outside, the Janitor locks the front door and walks away. A body falls behind him with a heavy crunch. He turns back to see the Professor dead on the steps.

~MOTEL ROOM- MORNING. A WEEK LATER~

Andrew is sitting on the couch looking through books; he rubs his face tiredly. Averie is sitting up on the bed behind him, listening to the radio and eating something messy from a disposable plate. “Av, do you mind not eating those on my bed?” “No, I don't mind. How’s the, uh, research goin’?” “You know how it's going? Slow. You know how it would go a hell of a lot faster? If I had my computer.” She nods sarcastically “Hmm.” he turns to her “Can you turn that down please?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” she turns the music up louder, “You know what? Maybe, uh, maybe you should just go somewhere for a while.” She shuts the radio off and looks up, snappish “Hey, I'd love to. That's a great idea. Unfortunately, my car's all screwed to hell.” “I told you, I have nothing to do with-” He's cut off by a loud knock on the door. Andrew stands and goes to the door; he looks through the peephole and then back at Averie, then opens the door. Outside is Dean.

“Hey, Dean.” he says, Dean walks in “Kids.” Averie rolls her eyes before getting up and walking over “Hello.” “It's good to see you again so soon.” “Yeah, thanks for coming.” She smiles “Thank god you're here.” he nods “So um, what didn't you want to talk to me on the phone about?” “It's this job we're working. We weren't sure you'd believe us.” “Well, I can believe a lot.” “Yeah, no, no, it's just, we've never seen anything like it,”

Averie looks at him “Not even close.” “And we thought we could use some fresh eyes.” Dean sighs “Well, why don't you begin at the beginning?” “Yeah, um, all right.” Andrew gestures to the bed; Dean picks up the empty takeout tray and peers at it, sets it aside, and sits down. “o, it all started when we caught wind of an obit. See, a professor took a nosedive from a fourth story window, only there's a campus legend that the building's haunted. So we pretended as reporters from the local paper.”

-FLASHBACK 1 (ANDREW’S VERSION)-

~BAR. NIGHT~

Andrew is sitting at a table with a cocky jock boy (Curtis) and a dippy attractive girl (Jen); he sets a voice recorder down on the table. “Yeah, we both had the professor for Ethics and Morality.” Curtis says, “Yeah? So why do you think he did it?” Jen shrugs “Who knows? I mean, he was tenured, wife and kids. His book is like a really big deal. Then again...Who's to say it was suicide?” “Jen, come on.” Andrew looks at her confused “Well, what else could it be?”

“Well, you know about Crawford Hall?” she asks, leaning closer to him “No, I don't, actually.” Curtis looks at him “It's a bunch of crap, it's a total urban legend.” “Yeah well, Heather's mom went to school here, and she knew the girl.” “Wait, what girl?” Andrew asks. “Thirty years ago, this girl was having an affair with some professor. He broke it off, she jumped out the window and killed herself.” “You know her name?”

“No. But they say she jumped from room six-six-nine. Get it? You turn the nine upside down? So now she haunts the building. And anyone who sees her? They don't live to tell the tale.” Curtis laughs “Well if no one lives to tell the tale then how does the tale get told?” “Curtis! Shut up!” “You know what? Uh, thanks a lot guys. Excuse me.” Andrew says getting up.

Elsewhere in the bar, Averie has three shot glasses filled with dark bluish-purple liquid. She takes one; then slams all three in succession. Andrew approaches, “Averie. Av, what are you drinking?” “Don't know, man, I think they're called purple nurples?” “Okay, well listen. I think maybe we should go check out the professor's office.” “Oh, no, no, no, I can't right now, I've got some... feisty little wildcat on the hook, I'm about to - zzzzp - reel her in. I'll introduce you.”

“Av-” a blonde girl in fishnet stockings and a tight dress walks over. “Starla! Starla, hey. This is my shuttle co-pilot Major Tom. Major Tom, Starla.” “Enchante.” she says, draping her arm around Averie. “Hi..” he watches as she gags, covering her mouth, then looks up grinning “Sorry. Just trying to keep my liquor down!” Averie smiles “Yeah! Good job.” she turns to Andrew “Hey. Good news. She's got a sister.” She leans back into Starla’s arm again, both of them grinning suggestively.

-END FLASHBACK (ANDREW’S VERSION)-

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a minute.” Averie says, “What?” “Come on, dude, that's not how it happened.” “No? So you never drank a purple nurple?” “Yeah, maybe that, but I don't say things like "feisty little wildcat". And her name wasn't Starla.” “Then what was it?” “I don't know.” she turns to Dean “But she was a classy chick. She was a grad student, anthropology and folklore. We were talking about local ghost stories.”

-FLASHBACK 1 (AVERIE’S VERSION)-

This time ‘Starla’ is in black heels and a sleek black cocktail dress. She and Averie each hold a purple nurple and toast with them. “Here's to…” “Here’s to us.” “My god. You... are attractive.” she says smiling and looking at Averie admirably, “Thanks. But no time for that now. You need to tell me about this urban legend. Please. Lives are at stake.” “Sorry, I just . . . can't even concentrate. It's like staring . . . into the sun.”

She reaches up and pulls her head towards her for a slow kiss. Andrew approaches behind them with an extreme Bitchface and his jacket slung over his shoulder. “Averie! What do you think you're doing?” she pulls back and looks at him “Andrew, please. If you wouldn't mind, give me five minutes here.” “Averie, this is a very serious investigation. We don't have any time for any of your blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah Blah!” Averie leans in to kiss her again as Andrew continues blabidiblahing behind her.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Andrew glares at her and sarcastically says “Right. And that's how it really happened.” she shrugs “I don't sound like that, Av!” Dean looks at the two of them “Okay. What's going on with you two?” “Nothing. Noth- it's nothing.” he says. “No? Come on. You're bickering like an old married couple.” “No, see married couples can get divorced. We're like, uh, Siamese twins.” she says getting up and crossing to the kitchenette.

Andrew turns “It's conjoined twins!” “See what I mean?” he turns back to Dean “Look, it. We've just been on the road for too long. Tight quarters, all that. Don't worry about it.” Dean nods. “So anyway. We figured it might be a haunting, so we went to check out the scene of the crime.”

-FLASHBACK 2 (ANDREW’S VERSION)-

The janitor lets Andrew and Averie (posing as electricians) into the professor's office. “So, how long have you been working here?” Andrew asks, he looks at him “I've been mopping this floor for six years. There you go, guys.” he says as they approach the door. He sees Andrew’s EMF meter “What the heck's that for?” “Just find a wire in the walls.” “Huh. Wow. Not sure why you're wiring up this office. Not gonna do the professor much good.”

“Why’s that?” Averie asks, turning around, “He's dead.” “Oh. What happened?” “He went out that window. Right there.” he says, pointing at the window. Andrew nods “Yeah? Were you working that night?” “I'm the one who found him.” “You see it happen?” Averie sees a bowl of nuts on the side table and eats one. “No. I just saw him come up here, and uh, well.” “What?” “He wasn't alone.” Averie walks over, her cheeks stuffed with nuts. She’s holding the bowl and continues eating them “Who was he with?”

“Come on! I ate one, maybe two!” Averie yells at him, “Just let me tell it, okay?”

“He was with a young lady. I told the cops about her, but uh, I guess they never found her.” the Janitor says, “You saw this girl go in, huh? Did you ever see her come out?” “Now that you mention it, no.” “You ever see her before, around?” “What do you mean?” Averie asks, muffled, Andrew glares at her. “I don't mean to cast aspersions on a dead guy, but uh . . . Mister Morality? He brought a lot of girls up here. Got more ass than a toilet seat.”

She laughs; Andrew shakes his head, the Janitor grins. “One more thing. This building, it only has four stories, right?” “Yeah.” “So there wouldn't be a room six-six-nine?” “'Course not. Why do you ask?” “Just curious, thanks.”

~MOTEL ROOM~

They return to the room, Andrew sits at the table; Averie gets a beer out of the fridge for each of them. “Well, no traces of EMF, that's for sure.” he mutters, “And the room six-six-nine's a load of crap.” “So what do you think? The professor's just a jumper? A legend's just a legend?” She shrugs “I don't know. I mean, the uh, girl the janitor described, that's pretty weird.” “Yeah..” “We oughta check out the history of the building. See if any co-ed ganked herself there.”

He looks up at her and nods “You’re right.” he opens up his laptop, then stares at the screen, confused. “Av, were you on my computer?” “Uh, no..?” “Oh really? 'Cause it's frozen now. On uh, Bustyasianbeauties.com.” She retreats behind the wall, “Averie! Would you - just - don't touch my stuff anymore, okay?” “Why don't you control your O.C.D.?”

-END FLASHBACK-

“But did you dig up anything about the building? Or on the suicidal co-ed?” Dean asks, “No. History's clean.” Andrew says. “Then it's not a haunting.” “Maybe not. Tell you the truth, we're not really sure.” Averie says, he looks over at her “What do you mean, you're not sure?” “Well, it's weird.” “This next part, we uh, we didn't see it happen ourselves exactly, but it's pretty friggin weird. Even for us.”

-FLASHBACK 3-

Curtis walks alone through the campus. He hears a noise and turns, startled, then keeps walking, laughing at himself. He hears another noise and stops, looking straight up. He walks more carefully, hands in pockets. Suddenly a bright light whooshes on overhead and he cringes, arms over his head. He starts running, but trips and falls; a bright beam of light shoots down and grabs him like a tractor beam, pulling him up. He screams and flails.

-END FLASHBACK-

“Aliens?” he asks, “Yeah.” “Aliens?” “Yeah.” “Look, even if they are real, they're sure as hell not coming to earth and swiping people.” “Hey, believe me. We know.” “My whole life I've never found evidence of an honest-to-God abduction. It's all just cranks and pranks.” Andrew sighs “Yeah, that's what we thought. But...we figured we'd at least talk to the guy.”

-FLASHBACK 4-

Averie is seated next to Curtis, who has three full shot glasses lined up in front of him. Andrew is standing nearby. He takes a shot, “Hey, you ought to give those purple nurples a shot.” she says. Andrew looks at him “So, what happened, Curtis?” “You won't believe me. Nobody does.” “Give us a chance.” “I don’t want this in the paper.” “Off the record then.” “I, uh... I blacked out, and...I lost time, and when I woke up, I don't know where I was.”

Andrew sits in front of him “Then what?” “They did tests on me. And, uh…They, uh... They probed me.” he takes another shot, she looks at him as Andrew looks away struggling not to laugh “They probed you?” “Yeah, they probed me. Again and a-- Again and -- And again. And again and again and again... And then one more time.” “Yikes.” “And that's not even the worst of it.” Averie raises her eyebrows and smirks “How could it get any worse? Some alien made you his bitch.” Curtis glares at her, her smirk fades “They... They made me... Slow dance!”

-END FLASHBACK-

“You guys are exaggerating again, huh?” Dean asks, “No, not at all.” Andrew says. “Then this frat boy's just nuts.” “Well, we’re not so sure..” Averie says, Dean sighs.

-FLASHBACK 5-

Andrew and Averie are standing over a large, perfectly round scorch mark in the ground. “I'm telling you, Av, This was made by some kind of jet engine.” “You mean some saucer-shaped jet engine?” “What else could it be?” “What the hell?” she mutters. “I don’t know.” “Seriously, dude -- What the hell?” “I don’t know. I mean, first the haunting. Now this? The timing alone -- There's got to be some kind of connection.” “You mean between the angry spirit and the sexed-Up E.T.? What could the connection possibly be?”

“But what could we do? So we just kept on digging.”

-FLASHBACK RESUMES (AVERIE’S VERSION)-

“So, you and this guy, Curtis -- You were in the Same house?” Andrew asks a college student, “Yeah.” “You heard what happened to him, right?” “Yeah, he says it was aliens, but, you know, whatever.” Andrew looks at him “Look, man, I -- I know this all has to be so hard.” “Um, not so much.” “But I want you to know... I'm here for you. You brave little soldier. I acknowledge your pain. Come here.” he pulls him into a hug “You're too precious for this world.”

“I never said that!” “You're always saying pansy stuff like that.”

“Well, um... Yeah, uh, thanks. Thanks for the hug, but, uh, I'm okay. Really. To tell you the truth, whatever happened to Curtis, he had it coming.” “Why is that?” “He's our pledge master. Put us through hell this semester, and got off on it. So now he knows how we feel.” She nods and looks at Andrew’s worried face “It’s okay.”

~MOTEL ROOM~

“Still doesn't make a lick of sense. But, hey, at least there's one connection.” she says as they walk in the door, “Between what?” “The victims. The professor and the frat guy -- They're both dicks.” “That's a connection?” “You got anything better to go on, I'd love to hear it.” He opens his bag, “Where's my laptop?” “I don't know. Think about it. A philandering professor gets a dead girl. A pledge master gets hazed.” he continues looking, getting frustrated “I left it in here.”

She looks at him “You obviously didn't. I mean, these punishments-they're almost poetic. Actually, it'd be more like a limerick, but still --” he walks up to her “Okay, hilarious. Ha ha. Where'd you hide it?” “What, your computer?” “Why would I take your computer?” “Because no one else could have. We keep the door locked. We never let any maids in.”

“Looks like you lost it, Poindexter.” “Av, you know something? I put up with a lot from you.” she chuckles “What are you talking about? I'm a joy to be around.” “Yeah? Your dirty socks in the sink, your food in the fridge.” “What's wrong with my food?” “It's not food anymore, Averie! It's Darwinism. All I ask from you, the one thing, is that you don't mess with my stuff!” “You done?” “You know, how would you feel if I screwed with the Impala?” “It'd be the last thing you ever did.”

-END FLASHBACK-

“Did you take his computer?” Dean asks, “Serves him right, but, no.” he looks at her “Well, I didn't lose it. 'Cause i don't lose things.” “Oh, that's right, 'cause you’re Mr. Perfect.” “Okay, okay. Why don't you just tell me what happened next?” Dean asks, they both turn to him “There was one more victim. Now, we didn't see this one ourselves, either. We kind of put it together from the evidence. But this guy -- He was a research scientist. Animal testing.” “Yeah, you know -- A dick, which fits the pattern.”

-FLASHBACK 6-

~CAMPUS. NIGHT~

The research scientist leaves a campus building, heading towards the street. He sees something shiny in the gutter and stops. He looks around cautiously, then gets down on hands and knees to see it better. It is a gold watch. He gets all the way down and sticks and arm through the gutter bars, trying to reach it. He struggles. Something grabs him. He begins screaming and struggling as blood spatters on his face.

~MORGUE. HOURS LATER~

A window latch slides aside as Andrew opens it from the outside with a small knife. Flashlight in hand, he crawls through the window. “Hey.” Averie says, he turns and she throws her flashlight to him then climbs through. She opens a body drawer and shines her light in. He grimaces, “Well, this ought to be quick.” They slide the drawer out and gingerly peel off the bloody blanket, revealing extremely mangled remains.

“Okay, that’s just nasty.” she says, “Uh, yeah.” “Mutilated?” “Looks to me like something was hungry.” “They identify him yet?” “Yeah. A research scientist at the college. Guess where his office was, by the way. Crawford Hall, Same as the professor.” “That's right where the frat boy had his close encounter.” “Yeah. Hey, grab me that thing, would you?”

She slides a magnifier/light over to Andrew, who peers through it at the corpse. “What is it?” he pulls something out “Looks like a... A belly scale?” “A belly scale? From what?” “Uh... An alligator?” “An alligator in the sewer. Come on.” “What? Well, Av, it's a classic urban legend. A kid flushes a baby gator down the toilet, and it grows huge in the tunnels.” “But no one's ever really found one. They're not real.”

“Neither's alien abduction, but something chomped on this guy.” he says looking over at her, “This couldn't get any weirder.” “Maybe we should get some help. I'll call Dean. Maybe he's run into something like this before.” “Oh, I'm sure he has. Just your typical haunted campus, Alien abduction, alligator-in-the-sewer gig. Yeah, it's simple.”

“We decided to search the sewer anyway, so we split up, each taking one end of campus.” “Did you find anything?” “Yeah, I found something, just not in the sewer.” Averie says, glaring at Andrew.

Averie emerges from the sewer and enters the alley where the Impala is parked. All four tires are flat, “Son of a bitch!” She circles the car and finds a money clip on the ground, engraved with "A.W.W.” “Andrew, you bastard.”

~MOTEL ROOM~

Andrew is reading a book as Averie enters, “You think this is funny?” “It depends, what?” “The car!” “What about the car?” “You can't let the air out of the tires. You're gonna bend the rims!” “Whoa, wait a minute. I didn't go near your car.” “Oh, yeah? Huh. Then how'd I find this?” She pulls the clip out of her pocket, he stands and feels his pockets “Hey, give me back my money.” she walks over towards her bag “Oh, no, no. Consider it reparations. For, uh, emotional trauma.”

“Yeah, very funny. Now, give it back.” he reaches for it, “No.” “Averie, I have had it up to here with you.” he says, holding his hand up to his head. She scoffs and looks up at him “Yeah? Right back at you!” Andrew reaches for the money again; Averie avoids. He grabs at her again, tackling her to the bed. They struggle, “Get off of me!” “Give it back!”

-END FLASHBACK-

“Okay, I've heard enough.” Dean says, “You showed up about an hour after that.” “I'm surprised at you two. I really am. Andrew, first off, Averie did not steal your computer.” He looks at him “But, I-” “Shh, shh, shh, shh! And, Averie, Andrew did not touch your car.” “Yeah.” “And if you two bothered to pull your heads out of your asses, it all would have been pretty clear.” “What?”

“What you're dealing with.” “I got nothing.” she says, Andrew looks confused “Me either.” Dean sighs “You got a trickster on your hands.” “That's what I thought.” she says, he hits her leg “No, you didn't.” “I got to tell you... you guys were the biggest clue.” He looks at Dean “What do you mean?” “These things create chaos and mischief as easy as breathing, and it's got you so turned around and at each other's throats, you can't even think straight.”

“My laptop, the tires..” “It knows you're onto him, and it's been playing you like fiddles.” “So, what is it -- Spirit, demon, what?” Averie asks, “Well, more like demigods, really. There's Loki in scandinavia. There's Anansi in west africa. Dozens of them. They're immortal, and they can create things out of thin air. Things as real as you and me. Make them vanish just as quick.” “You mean like an angry spirit or an alien or an alligator?”

“The victims fit the M.O., too. Tricksters target the high and the mighty, knock them down a peg, usually with a sense of humor -- deadly pranks, things like that.” “Dean, what do these things look like?” “Lots of things, but human, mostly.” “And what human do we know who's been at ground zero this whole time?”

~JANITOR’S HOUSE. NIGHT~

The Trickster/Janitor is flipping through a copy of Weekly World News. 'AN ALIEN MADE ME IT's LOVE SLAVE' “Oh, that's a good one.” He sits in a tacky swinger's pad: velvet armchair, wildly patterned walls, huge mirrors. He's wearing a white tank top and red satin boxers. He calls to a small, energetic dog, who comes bounding towards him.

“Come here boy.” he picks the dog up, “Could you eat? I could eat. Come on.” He gets up and circles to the kitchen, holding a champagne flute. The kitchen table is covered in lavish sweets, he sits the dog on the table. “Something's missing.” Two scantily clad women appear behind him: one blonde, one brunette; he takes whipped cream on one finger and holds it out; the brunette on his left licks it off. “That’s better.”

~CRAWFORD HALL. MORNING~

The Trickster locks a gate with a key attached to his belt. Andrew and Averie follow him up a staircase. “Sorry I'm dragging a little ass today. Had quite the night last night. Lots of sex, if you catch my drift.” “Yeah, hard not to. Listen, we won't be long.” Averie says, motioning to Andrew, who is behind the Trickster. “We just need to check a couple offices up on 3.” “No problem.”

“I, uh, forgot something in the truck. You know what? I'll catch up with you guys.” “Okay.” He waits until they're out of sight, then hurries back to the locked gate, pulling out his lockpicking tools. He enters, and rummages through lockers until he finds a copy of the Weekly World News in one.

-

Andrew and Averie both exit the building, “Just 'cause he reads the Weekly World News doesn't mean he's our guy. You read it, too.” he says. “I'm telling you, it's him.” she says, “Look, I just think we need some hard proof. That's all.” “Another thing Dean mentioned was that these suckers have a metabolism like an insect, a real sweet tooth.” “I didn't find any candy bars or sugar. Not even close.” “Probably missed something.”

She says, annoyed “I don't miss things.” “Oh, right, 'cause you're Mr. Perfect.” “What? Are you really still pissed at me 'Cause of what the trickster did?” “You been a tight ass long before that trickster showed up.” From the upper window the Trickster watches them, “Look, just...stay here, keep an eye on the janitor. I'll go to his place to see if I can find any actual evidence before you go barging in and staking the man! Just wait till I get back, okay? Okay?” “Okay!” Andrew leaves, Averie starts pacing.

-NIGHT-

Averie sits on the ground, “Eh, screw this.” She enters the building, poking around cautiously with her flashlight. As she goes up the last staircase she puts the flashlight away and pulls out a large wooden stake. She hears something behind him, tucks the stake into the jacket, and enters the theater. On the stage is a round red bed with tacky canopy and a slowly rotating disco ball. The two women the Trickster materialized earlier are sprawled on it seductively.

As Averie gets to the stage, they crawl towards her. Her face flushes red as she watches them “Y-Y-You’re not real.” “Trust me, sugar, it's gonna feel real.” the brunette says, she laughs nervously “Come on. Let us give you a massage.” “You know, I'm a -- I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Really, I am, but... I-I'm gonna have to pass.”

The Trickster appears and sits in the crowd, “They're a peace offering. I know what you and your brother do. I've been around a while. Run into your kind before.” “Well, then you know that I... can't let you just keep hurting people.” “Come on! Those people got what was coming to them. Hoisted on their own petards. But you and Andrew -- I like you. I do. So treat yourself... Long as you want. Just long enough for me to move on to the next town.”

“Yeah, i don't think I can let you do that.” “I don't want to hurt you. And you know that I can.” “Look, man, I -- I got to tell you, I dig your style, all right? I mean,” she chuckles “I do. I mean... and the slow-Dancing alien --” “One of my personal favorites. Yeah.” “But, uh, I can't let you go.” “Too bad. Like I said, I like you. Andrew was right. You shouldn't have come alone.” “Well, I'll agree with you there.”

The door slams shut, he looks back up the stairs to see Andrew, just entered, with a large stake of his own. Dean stands at the top of the next aisle, also with a stake. “That fight you guys had outside -- That was a trick? Hmm. Not bad. But you want to see a real trick?” A masked man with a chainsaw appears near Andrew and attacks. The brunette attacks Averie. The Trickster watches, entertained, as Dean and Andrew grapple with the Chainsaw Man and Averie fights the two women. They throw him into the seats near him.

“Nice toss, ladies!” he stands up and stands in front of her “Averie... Averie, Averie. I did not want to have to do this.” Andrew tosses a stake to her, “Me either.” she stabs him in the chest and twists it. As she grinds in the stake, the women and the Chainsaw Man disappear. Dean pulls the stake out, and the Trickster falls, apparently dead, into a seat.

Andrew and Dean walk over. She turns around “You guys okay?” “Yeah. I guess.” “All I got to say... he had style.” She groans, and they stagger outside. “Dean, thanks a lot.” Andrew says, “Hey, save it! Let's just get the hell out of dodge before somebody finds that body.” Andrew leans against the Impala “Look, Av, um... I just want to say that I'm, uh... Um…” “Me too.” “You guys are breaking my heart. Could we please just leave?” Dean says, they share a look before getting in.

A figure approaches the Trickster’s body and stands by it. The body shimmers and disappears; the figure is the true Trickster, who bites into a chocolate bar and smiles.


	16. Roadkill

~ROAD. NIGHT~

A married couple (Molly and David) are driving along a generic 2-lane blacktop at night. 'House of the Rising Sun' plays on the radio. “We're lost.” she says, glancing at him, he continues reading the map “No. This is a short cut…” “Babe, it's just we've been on this road over an hour, and we haven't seen a single car.” “Molly, I know how to read a frickin' map, okay?” “We passed a gas station a while back. Let's just go ask someone.”

He sighs “That was 40 minutes ago. We're not turning around.” “Come on. Isn't this argument a little archaic? Men can ask directions these days.” he smiles, “No, we can't. It's against our genetic code. Look, I know exactly where we are.” “Oh yeah, where?” “Highway 99, okay? It cuts right through…” They pass a sign that reads ‘41’ she chuckles “Highway 99, huh?” “Okay, so we're taking the scenic route.”

“David. It's our anniversary, and we're spending it stuck in the car.” “I know. I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you, okay? Come here.” he leans over and kisses her shoulder “Stop. I'm mad at you.” she says, smiling, “Oh, come on, Molly. Hey, you love me.” “No, I don't. You're a jerk. David, I mean it.” She pushes him off, playfully, taking her eyes off the road. A man appears in the road before them. “Molly!” she swerves to avoid the man and runs the car off the road.

-

Molly wakes up and looks around, disoriented “David? David?” she crawls out of the wreck. He’s nowhere to be seen “Da... David?!” she staggers through the woods, calling for him. There is a cabin, with a candle burning in the window, she enters “Hello? Is anyone here?” She passes a wall covered in tools, then sees the man from the road standing with his back to her “It's you. You're okay. I'm so sorry.”

His stomach, which she can't see is impaled and bloody, “I didn't see you there. Are you... Are you hurt?” she reaches out to touch him, “Sir?” He turns towards her, blood dripping down his face. His mouth opens, spilling more blood, and his face turns dark and rotting. She glances down and sees his stomach. She screams, backing away from him.

Molly runs through the woods away from the cabin. She staggers onto the road, where a car is approaching. “Stop!” she stands in the middle of the road, hands out; the car stops just short of her. It is the Impala, “You've got to help me. Please! Please!” she says running to the passenger side window, Andrew looks up at her “All right, all right. Calm down, calm down. Tell us what happened.”

-

Andrew and Averie have parked the Impala by the road and all three are standing around it. “I-I swerved, a-And we crashed. And when I came to, the car was wrecked and my husband was missing. I went looking for him, but that's when the man from the road, he... he started chasing me.” “Did he look like he lost a fight with a lawn mower?” Averie asks, “How did you know that?” “Lucky guess.” Andrew sighs “Ma'am, what's your name?”

Molly looks at him, “Molly McNamara.” he shares a look with Averie “I think maybe you should come with us. We'll take you back into town.” “I can't. I have to find David. He might have gone back to the car.” “We should get you somewhere safe first. Then Averie and I will come back. We'll look for your husband.” “No. I'm not leaving here without him. Would you just take me back to my car, please?” “Of course. Come on.”

~WOODS~

Molly leads them into the woods, “It's right over there.” They come upon the crash site, but the car is gone, “I don't understand. I'm sure this is where it was. W-We hit that tree right there. This... this doesn't make any sense.” she goes to investigate, out of earshot. “Av, we got to get out of here. Greeley could show up at any second.” “What are you gonna tell her?” “The truth.” “I know it sounds crazy, but I crashed into that tree. I don't know who could've taken it. It was totaled. Please. You have to believe me!” Molly yells, Andrew turns “Molly, listen, we do believe you. But that's why we want to get you out of here.”

“What about David? Something must have happened. I have to get to the cops.” “Cops... that's a great idea. We'll take you down to the station ourselves. So just come with us. It's the best way we can help you and your husband.” “O-okay..” she walks back up.

~ROAD~

Averie drives down the road with Molly on the passenger side and Andrew in the backseat. “We're supposed to be in lake Tahoe.” “You and David?” she asks, looking over, “It's our five-Year anniversary.” “Hell of an anniversary.” “Right before, we were having the dumbest fight. It was the only time we ever really argued... when we were stuck in the car.” “Yeah. I know how that goes.” Andrew glares at her. “You know the last thing I said to him? I called him a jerk. Oh, god. What if that's the last thing I said to him?”

She frowns, “Molly... We're gonna figure out what happened to your husband. I promise.” the radio starts making odd noises, then plays 'House of the Rising Sun'. Andrew frowns at it, “Did you-” “No.” “I was afraid you'd say that.” Molly looks at the radio “This song..” “What?” he asks, leaning forward. “It was playing when we crashed.” The radio crackles again, and settles on another station.

A creepy voice (Greeley’s) can be heard “She's mine. She's mine. She's mine.” “What is that?” Molly asks, terrified. Greeley appears in the middle of the road. Averie floors it straight at him, “Hold on.” “What are you doing?” She drives straight into Greeley, who vanishes in a puff of smoke, Molly looks out the window. “What the... What the hell just happened?” “Don't worry, Molly. Everything's gonna be alright.” Andrew says, just as he says that the Impala shudders to a stop. “Spoke a little too soon, Andy. I don't think he's gonna let her leave.”

All three exit the car, “This can't be happening.” “Well... Trust me, it's happening.” Averie says. Andrew opens the trunk and starts pulling out weaponry. Molly comes around and sees the arsenal, backs away slowly “Well... Okay. Thanks for helping, but I think I got it covered from here.” He follows after her “Wait. Molly, Molly, wait a minute.” “Just leave me alone!” “No. Please. You have to listen to me.” “It wasn't a coincidence that we found you, all right?”

She stops and turns to him “We weren't cruising for chicks when we ran into you, sister. We were already out here. Hunting.” Averie says, “H-Hunting for what?” “Ghosts.” he looks at his sister “D... d... don't... Sugar coat it for her.” “You're nuts.” she says. Averie chuckles, annoyed “Really? About as nuts as a vanishing guy with his guts spilling out. You know what you saw. We think his name is Jonah Greeley. He was a local farmer that died 15 years ago on this highway.” “Just stop.”

“One night a year, on the anniversary of his death, he haunts this road. That's why we're here, Molly. To try and stop him.” Andrew says, “Now, I suppose this ghost made my car disappear, too.” “Crazier things have happened. Huh?” “You know what? I'm all filled up on crazy. I'm gonna get the cops myself.” “I don't mean to be harsh, but I don't think you're gonna get too far.” Averie says. “What is that supposed to mean?” “Means that plan 'A' was trying to get you out of here. Obviously that didn't go over too well with, uh, Farmer Roadkill.”

“Molly, we're telling the truth. Greeley's not gonna let you leave this highway.” “You're s... you're serious about this, aren't you?” Averie nods and glances at Andrew “Deadly. Every year, Greeley finds someone to punish for what happened to him. Tonight that person is you.” “Why me? I didn't do anything.” “Doesn't matter. Some spirits only see what they want.” “So you're saying this Greeley, he took my husband? Oh, god.” “Molly, look, we're gonna help, all right? But first, you gotta help us.” “Help you? How?”

~CABIN~

Molly leads them back to the cabin where she saw Greeley. “This is it. This is where I saw him.” “Must have been his hunting cabin.” Averie says, she looks at the vicious tools hanging, and bloodstained table. “Seemed like a real sweet guy.” she mutters, Andrew glances out the window “No markers or headstones outside.” “You're looking for Greeley's grave?” Molly asks, “Yeah.” “Why?” “So we can dig up the corpse and salt and burn it.” Averie says, “Oh. Sure. Naturally.” “It's a way to get rid of a spirit.” “And that'll save David?” “This is what'll help both of you, provided there's a corpse to be found.”

“So how do we find it?” He turns to her and sighs “Uh, not sure. After Greeley died, his wife claimed the body. And that was the last anyone saw of her. So good guess she brought him back here. But they have a thousand acres. He could be buried anywhere on 'em.” “Is this really what you guys do? You're like Ghostbusters?” Averie chuckles “Yeah. Minus the jumpsuits. This is a fascinating conversation and all, but this highway is only haunted once a year, and we got till sun up to wrap this thing up. What do you say we move it along, okay? Great.”

They walk outside and continue searching, “What are we looking for?” “Greeley's house. Maybe he's buried there. Look for roads or paths or something. Stay close.” “Okay.” She hears a voice in the distance “Molly? Molly, help me! Molly?” “David? David?” she calls out, she goes in search of the voice. Greeley appears and grabs her, Averie runs over and shoots Greeley with rock salt “Whoops.” she says jokingly as he dissipates. Andrew runs over to them, “Hey! Are you alright?” “What has that son of a bitch done with my husband?”

“Just take it easy, all right? You're gonna see David again. You will.” Averie taps Andrew’s shoulder and points to a path in front of them, “Follow the creepy brick road.” He motions for Molly to follow Averie, he takes up the back. She points at the gun “That thing shoots rock salt?” “Yep.” “And plain salt keeps away spirits?” he nods, “Simple remedies are always the best. In most cultures, salt is a symbol of purity, so it repels impure and unnatural things. Same reason you throw it over your shoulder.”

They round the corner and see a creepy house, Averie looks at the peeling paint and broken shutters, “You know, just once I'd like to round the corner and see a nice house.” Andrew and Molly enter the house; Averie stays outside to look around. After a few minutes she walks in, “Any headstones outside?” “Yeah, right. Is it ever that easy?” “I guess not.” She sighs, “You two check upstairs. See if you can find any notes or records telling us where he's buried. I'll just check down here.”

He nods and leads Molly upstairs, they find a room strewn with papers, “Great.” he mutters. As he starts going through the papers, Molly finds an old photo album by the window and opens it. “Look at this, It's Greeley and his wife.” she sits on the bed, he sits next to her. They flip through the album and she looks at the one page “It's a love letter he wrote her. My god, it's beautiful. I don't understand how a guy like this can turn into that monster.” “Spirits like Greeley are,uh... Like wounded animals. Lost. In so much pain, that they lash out.”

“Why? Why are they here?” she asks him, he sighs “Well, there's some part of them that... That's keeping them here. Like their remains or, um... Unfinished business.” “Unfinished business?” “Yeah. It could be revenge. Could be love. Or hate. Whatever it is, they just hold on too tight. Can't let go. So they're trapped. Caught in the Same loops. Replaying the Same tragedies over and over.” his voice breaks at the last words, “You sound almost sorry for them.” “Well, they weren't evil people, you know? A lot of them were good. Just... Something happened to them. Something they couldn't control.”

“Andy’s always getting a little J. Love Hewitt when it comes to things like this. Me, I don't like 'em. And I sure as hell ain't making apologies for 'em. There's nothing downstairs.” Averie says, standing in the doorway, “Uh, just about every piece of mail or receipt they ever had. Looked through a couple, but nothing about a grave so far.” They watch her as she watches a wall, “What is it?” Molly asks, “There's something behind here.” she throws her flashlight at him.

She moves a cabinet aside, revealing a small hidden door. She pokes at it, “It's locked from the inside.” turning around, she throws a back kick at the door, which does nothing. She looks surprised, then braces herself and kicks harder. The door falls inward. They crawl through, “It smells like an old lady in here.” she says, Andrew hits her arm. The three of them stand up, Averie sees a corpse hanging from the ceiling by its neck “And that would explain why. Well, now we know why nobody ever saw her again.”

Molly frowns, “She didn't want to live without him.” Andrew picks up the chair “Av, give me a hand?” “Really?” “What’re you going to do?” Molly asks him. “We can't leave her like this.” he says, Averie looks at him as he stands on the chair “Why not?” “She deserves to be put to rest, Averie.” she reluctantly agrees. He begins to cut through the rope as she steadies the corpse.

~OUTSIDE~

Averie digs a grave for Mrs. Greeley as Andrew stands with Molly, “So... So, if you manage to put Greeley to rest, too... What happens to them?” Averie looks up at her “Lady, that answer is way beyond our pay grade. Hell, we don’t even get paid.” “You hunt these things, but you don't know what happens to them?” “Well, they never come back. That's all that matters.” She looks away from her, Andrew notices that answer didn’t satisfy her “After they let go of whatever's keeping them here, they...They just go. I hope someplace better, but we don't know. No one does.”

“What happens when you burn their bones?” “Well, my Dad used to say that was like death for ghosts, you know? But... The truth is, we still don't know. Not for sure.” Averie looks up after he mentions Ethan, he sees the hurt in her eyes and frowns “Guess that's why we all hold on to life so hard. Even the dead. We're all just scared of the unknown.” “The only thing I'm scared of is losing David. I have to see him again. I have to.”

~FARMHOUSE~

Molly is pacing in one room, looking through the photo album; Andrew and Averie waiting in another room nearby. “I think we should tell her about her husband.” he says, “We can’t.” “Av, it's cruel, letting her pine for him like this. I don't like keeping her in the dark.” “It's for her own good. I know you feel guilty, but let's just stick to the plan. Let's get her out of here. Then we'll tell her.” she glares at him and turns, Molly stands behind her “Tell me what? What aren't you telling me? It's about David. You know what happened to him.”

“Molly-” he starts, “Andrew, don’t.” “Don't what? Don't tell me because I'll mess up your hunt? You don't care about me or my husband.” he shakes his head “That's not true.” “Really? Then whatever it is, tell me, please.” They hear the song 'House of the Rising Sun' begin to play, “He’s here, Stay with her…” Averie says as she goes cautiously towards the sound. She uncovers a dusty radio that has powered itself up. She crouches down and finds a broken, frayed power cord. She hears another noise and goes toward the front door.

It frosts over and the words 'SHE'S MINE' appear. In the other room, Molly is standing by the window. Andrew steps cautiously forward towards the next room. Suddenly a figure crashes through the window behind Molly and grabs her. She screams as she is dragged outside. Averie comes running back, “He’s got Molly!” he yells, they both climb out the window and chase them through the woods. They lose sight of them, and return to the house.

“This guy is persistent.” Averie says, grabbing her side, “We got to find Molly.” “We got to find Greeley's bones. And, uh, no pressure or anything, but we got less than four hours before sunrise.” She sits down and lifts the side of her shirt seeing an old wound that reopened when she went out the window, he walks over and she quickly drops the shirt “What do you got?” she asks “'February 6, 1992.'” he says handing her the picture. “That was like two weeks before the accident, wasn't it?”

“Yeah. It looks like the hunting cabin, but... I swear there's a tree there right where they're standing. Should have thought of it.” “What?” “It's an old country custom, Av. Planting a tree as a grave marker.” “You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness.” she says chuckling, “Yeah. I know.”

~HUNTING CABIN~

Molly hangs from the ceiling by her wrists, “Where's David? What did you do to him?” Greeley stands in front of her “You shouldn't worry about him anymore.” “Oh, god.” “You should worry about yourself.” “I didn't do anything to you!” he steps back and gives her a confused look “Oh?”  
“I know... I know about your wife. Hurting me won't bring her back.” “My wife is gone. All I got left's hurting you.” he slides a finger across her collarbone, slicing flesh. She closes her eyes “P-Please. Just let me go.” he drags a finger across her stomach gorging deep.

Andrew and Averie approach the cabin from the outside, carrying shovels. He nods “Go get Molly.” as Averie heads inside, he begins to dig around the tree. Inside, Greeley is approaching her menacingly when his head explodes in a shotgun burst, revealing Averie behind him. “Oh thank God!” she cries out, Averie smiles “Call me Averie.” Greeley appears behind Averie, who turns to face him. He gestures and she cries out, a cut appearing on her cheek, “You are really pissing me off.”

He gestures again and she flies backward, slamming her head against the wall. Andrew digs feverishly as he hears Averie hit the wall, the shovel hits something hard. Averie is struggling against the wall. Greeley reaches out, and a knife flies into his hand. Andrew empties a box of salt into the open grave. Greeley takes the knife and pushes it into the open wound, twisting it, she screams out in pain “Stop! Please!” Andrew empties a container of gasoline into the grave, lights a match and drops it in.

The corpse in the grave catches fire and burns, Greeley bursts into flame, is consumed, and disappears. The bloody knife gets yanked out and thrown across the room, she unties Molly from the ceiling, they both go out and see Andrew. He pulls Averie into a hug as she glances down at her bloody hand.

~ROAD~

Averie, Andrew, and Molly walk to the Impala. Averie pats it lovingly, “Oh, Baby, it's been a long night.” She drops her bag in the back, then climbs into the driver's seat. Andrew opens the back door for Molly “All right. Let's get you out of here.” “I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened to my husband.” “Molly..” “All this time I've been looking for him, and you knew that... You knew that Greeley killed him, didn't you? He's dead.” “No, Molly. David's alive.” “What? You're sure?” “I'm sure. We'll take you to him. Come on.” she grins and gets in the back.

~DAVID’S HOUSE~

They pull up in front of a nice suburban home. The lights are on inside, “He's in that house right there.” Andrew says, “I don't understand.” “You will.” They get out, she approaches the window, and can see David inside. He is older, wearing a bathrobe, and pouring a cup of coffee. “That's not... It can't be.” David looks up and a woman in a bathrobe comes up to him, holding a baby, he takes the infant from her. “What's happening? Who is that?” “That's David's wife and daughter. I'm sorry, Molly. 15 years ago, you and your husband hit Jonah Greeley with your car. David survived.”

“What are you saying?” Averie frowns, “We're saying there isn't just one spirit haunting highway 41. There are two. Jonah Greeley and you. For the past 15 years, one night a year you've been appearing on that highway.” She backs away from them, “No. That's not possible. It was our anniversary... February 22nd…” “1992.” Andrew says, “Yes.” “Molly, it's 2007.”

“Alright, tell me about Highway 41.” Averie says, her and Andrew drive down the road, “12 accidents over 15 years. Five of them fatal, all of them happening on the Same night.” “So what are we looking at... interstate dead zone? Phantom hitchhiker? What?” “Not quite. Year after year, witnesses said the Same thing made them crash. A woman appearing in the middle of the road being chased by a man covered in blood.” “Two spooks?” Andrew holds up old newspaper articles referring to Molly and Joahn’s deaths.

“Now, where is Molly buried?” Averie asks David as he tends to his daughter, “She... she wasn't buried anywhere. She was cremated.” They leave, “So much for burning her bones.” “Yeah, but then what's keeping her here?”

“Some spirits only see what they want.”

Molly sees the events of the crash and the aftermath in flashes, “David?! David?” she runs out onto the road, stopping the Impala. “Stop! Stop! You have to help me.” “Av, I don't think she knows she's dead.” “Please! Open up! Please!” “Okay. All right, all right. Just calm down. Tell us what happened.”

“What are you gonna tell her?” Averie asks, “The truth?” “She's gonna take off running in the other direction.”

“Some spirits hold on too tight. Can't let go.”

“And Greeley?” Molly asks, “Each year he punishes somebody for his death... chasing them. Torturing them. And each year, that somebody is you.” Andrew says. “But I don't remember any of it.” “Because you couldn't see the truth, Molly.” “So that's why he won't let me off the highway. Because... I killed him. I killed us both.”

-HOURS LATER. NEAR DAWN-

“Why didn't you tell me when you first saw me? Why wait until now?” she asks, “You wouldn't have believed us.” Averie says “And you needed me for bait.” “Well, we needed you. Molly, we brought you here so you could move on.” Andrew says. “I have to tell him.” “Tell him what? That you love him? That you're sorry? Molly, he already knows that. Look, if you want to go in there, we're not gonna stop you.” Averie nods, “Yeah, but you are gonna freak him out. For life.” “David's already said his goodbyes, Molly. Now it's your turn. This is your unfinished business.”

“What am I supposed to do?” “Just... Let go. Of David. Of everything. You do that... We think you'll move on.” “But you don't know where.” “No. But Molly, you don't belong here. Haven't you suffered long enough? It's time. It's time to go.” She nods sadly, then steps slowly away from the house. She turns her face upwards as the first light of dawn creeps over the rooftops. Bathed in light, she becomes part of the light and vanishes.

“I guess she wasn't so bad... For a ghost. You think she's really going to a better place?” Averie asks, “I hope so.” “I guess we'll never know. Not until we take the plunge ourselves, huh?” “Doesn't really matter, Av. Hope's kind of the whole point.” “All right, Haley Joel. Let’s hit the road.” They cross the road and get back in the Impala as a light rain begins to fall, “Don’t you need to patch your side up?” “Nope, It’ll heal again.”


	17. Heart

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. BAR. NIGHT.~

A young woman, Madeline, is grabbing drinks with her friends. Her co-worker, Nate Mulligan, walks over to them "Hey, Maddie. Listen, I hate to pull you away, but I'm gonna need you to come back to the office with me." "Really?" her friends start giggling, "Yeah. Turns out I've gotta file those docs by midnight—" "Midnight?" "Yeah, I'm gonna need you to, um..." he sees that she is smiling "This isn't working at all, is it?" "No, it's not, Nate." "Listen, I've had a couple. I shouldn't really drive. Could you just give me a lift—"

"I already called you a cab. I'll see you in the morning." she says, he walks away and her one friend watches "That happen a lot?" "Only on the days that end with a "y"." She scans the room and suddenly sees a surly-looking man in a leather jacket. Seated at a table across the bar, he is watching her with a serious look on his face. She stops smiling and looks uncomfortable, "You okay?" "Yeah." she looks back and the man is gone, "I gotta go."

She walks quickly to her car, then hears a crashing noise behind her, but when she stops, she sees nothing. Once she reaches her car and drives away, the mysterious man immediately begins following her, watching her leave.

~OFFICE BUILDING. MORNING.~

Madeline fills the coffee pot at the water cooler. She stops when she notices blood on the door to Nate's office. She goes to the door and pushes it open. A trail of blood on the rug leads to the desk, where Nate is lying, dead. His entire chest has been ripped apart, leaving blood everywhere. Screaming, Madeline drops the coffee pot, shattering it to pieces.

~MORGUE. LATER~

Andrew watches as the employee slides Nate's corpse from his compartment, "Here he is, Detective." He looks at the stitches running along his chest, stomach, shoulders, and throat "That's a pretty nasty bite." "Mm-hmm." "You know what bit him?" The employee looks away and sighs, "I haven't quite determined that just yet." "Come on, Doc. Off the record." "Okay, way, way off the record." "Sure." He watches as she frowns "If I didn't know better, I'd say the guy was attacked by a wolf. But unless I know that the zoo is missing one of their lobos, I'm going with pit bull. I like my job, don't want to lose it."

"I hear you. One more thing. This guy –- was his heart missing?" she looks at him shocked, "Yeah, how did you know that? I haven't even finished my report." "Lucky guess." She nods, "His heart was practically ripped out, I don't know what would, or could, do that.." Andrew sighs and looks back down at Nate's corpse, "Thank you, if I need anything else I will come back."

~MOTEL ROOM~

Averie sits on the one bed cleaning her guns, "This Lawyer guy the first heart-free corpse in town?" Andrew shakes his head "The first man. Over the past year, several women have gone missing. Dead bodies all washed up later in the bay, too deteriorated to draw firm conclusions." "But no hearts?" "No hearts. They were all hookers working at Hunter's Point. Now, cops are trying to keep things under wrap, but they're looking for a serial killer." He sits down across from her, she looks up "And the lunar cycle?" "Mm-hmm. Yeah, month after month, all the murders happen in the week leading up to the full moon".

"Which is this week, right?" "Hence the Lawyer." he says, opening the beer, "Awesome." "Av, could you be a bigger geek about this?" "I''m sorry, man, but what about "a human by day, a freak animal killing machine by moonlight" don't you understand? I mean, werewolves are badass. We haven't seen one since we were kids." "Okay, Sparky. And you know what? After we kill it, we can go to Disneyland." "You know what the best part about it is? We already know how to bring these suckers down." she holds up a silver bullet "One of these bad boys right to the heart. So, what's our next move?" "Talk to the girl who found the body."

~MADELINE'S APARTMENT.~

Averie and Andrew knock on the door, Madeline opens it and leads them in. "We just need to get your statement." "I don't understand. I already gave my statement." Andrew glances at her "Right, well, we just need to verify a few things." They walk into the living room where a man sits on the couch, "This is my neighbor, Glen. Glen, this is Detective..." "Landis. And Detective Dante." Averie pats Andrew on the back. Glen, a bearded man wearing a "Mission Church" T-shirt, stands "Well, I guess I'll leave you to it. Just call if you need anything." "Okay. Thanks for the casserole." Madeline watches him leave.

"He's sweet. He came over to check on me. Have a seat." they sit and she stays standing in front of them, "You must be pretty shaken up. You were Nate Mulligan's assistant, right?" "For two years, yeah." "So, you knew all about him?" "Probably knew more about him than he did. Nate was...he was nice." "But?" She smiles "Nothing, really. He had a few scotches in him, and he started hitting on anyone in a five-mile radius. You know the type." he glances to Averie, "Yeah. I do, actually."Averie glares at him, "Did he have any enemies?" "What do you mean? It sure looked like an animal attack." "No, yeah, we're just covering all the bases. Anyone that might have had a beef with him –- a former client, an ex?"

She thinks of someone, but says nothing "What?" "Well, this is embarrassing, but my ex-boyfriend, Kurt—" "Kurt have a last name?" "Mueller. After we broke up, he went kind of nuts. He's...well, he's kind of been stalking me. He got it in his head that something was going on between Nate and I. He showed up at my office." He nods, "What happened?" "Kurt got into it with Nate, threw a punch before security grabbed him. I was lucky to keep my job." "When was the last time you saw Kurt?" "A few nights ago. Actually, the night Nate died. We were all grabbing drinks at this bar, and Kurt showed up." "And?" "Nothing. It was like he was watching me. Then he was gone. To tell you the truth...he scares me."

The two of them walk to the Impala, "So, what do you think?" Averie asks, "Stalker ex-boyfriend? He hates the boss. And he was there that night." "You think he's our dog-faced boy?" "Well, it's a theory." "We've had worse." "Yeah." "What do you say we pay Kurt a visit?" Inside the apartment, Madeline hears something outside. She goes to the window and sees Kurt watching her from the lawn. When she looks again, he is gone.

~KURT'S HOUSE. SUNDOWN~

Andrew picks the lock and they enter. While they are looking through the kitchen, an animal watches them from the corner. "Anything?" Andrew asks, "No, nothing but leftovers and a six-pack." Averie says as she closes the fridge. "Check the freezer. Maybe there's some human hearts behind the Haagen-Dazs or something." As she turns to the freezer, they hear a door open and close, followed by a crash outside. She steps out the sliding glass door onto the balcony. On the wall of the building, there claw marks sliding all the way down to the ground. "Andrew, come here!" he quickly rushes to her, she points at the marks.

On the street, a policeman is walking around and hears a crash nearby. "Somebody there?" Though the officer cannot see it, there is a creature watching from the dumpster. It jumps to attack the policeman as he approaches. Andrew and Averie hear a gunshot. They race down to the street, only to find the policeman's body completely mauled, "I'll call 9-1-1." he says, she kneels to examine the corpse "I'd say Kurt's looking more and more like our Cujo." "Av, if he's out here, we better check on Madeline."

~MADELINE'S APARTMENT.~

They knock on her front door. Across the hall, Glen opens his door to see the commotion, "What's going on?" "Police business, Glen." Averie says. Madeline opens the door, "What is it?" "Maybe we should talk privately." he says, glancing at Glen, she leads them into the kitchen. "Has Kurt been here?" "Not exactly." she hands them both coffee, "What exactly does "not exactly" mean?" "Well, he was outside earlier. Just...looking. Just looking at me. Has he done something?" "We're not really sure." "It's probably nothing, but...we just don't wanna take any chances. In fact, one of us should probably stay here with you, just in case he stops by. Where does he work?" Averie asks "He owns a body shop." "You mind grabbing that address for us?" She nods and leaves the room, "Thanks."

"All right, you go. I'll stay." he says, "Forget that. You go after the creepy ex. I'm gonna hang here with the hot chick." "Dude, why do you always get to hang out with the girls?" "Because I'm older." "No, screw that. We settle this the old-fashioned way." He takes the coffee cups and sets them down, then raises his fist for Rock-Paper-Scissors. Averie plays along, choosing scissors while he chooses rock. "Averie, always with the scissors." "Shut up, shut up. Two out of three." They play once more, with Andrew's rock again beating Averie's scissors. "God!" "Bundle up out there, all right?" She flips him off as she leaves, he chuckles and watches the door close.

-

Madeline is checking through the mail while Andrew watches from the kitchen table. He smiles uncomfortably at her, "Um...do you wanna sit on the couch?" "No. No, no. I'm okay." "It's more comfortable." "Ah, I'm fine." She comes back to the table with a basket of laundry. Dumping it onto the table, she begins sorting through it. "You know, I think I will sit on the couch." he sits there awkwardly until his phone rings. He answers, "Let me guess. You're sitting on her couch like a stiff, trying to think of something to say." "Did you find Kurt?" "No, he hasn't been at work all week. But because I'm good, and I mean really, really good, I got a line on where he might be. So tell me, what's she wearing?" "Bye, Av."

He hangs up, Madeline comes to sit by him on the couch. She turns on the TV to a soap opera and he makes a face, visibly annoyed by the choice of programming "I saw that." "Saw what?" "Okay, this is the deal: my house, my TV. I never get to watch my show. So suck it up." Later, after the credits have rolled, Andrew is completely riveted, "Wait, so...Kendall married Ethan's father just to get back at him?" "Yup. And now she's set to inherit all the casinos that were supposed to go to Ethan." "What a bitch!"

They laugh, she smiles "Admit it, you're hooked." "No, no, no, no, no. I wouldn't say I'm hooked, just pulled to it...You know, can I ask you a question? It's – it's a little personal." "You've seen my underwear and other things. Go ahead." "Okay, um...well, you're – you're clearly smart. I mean, your house is full of great books, you know? And you're independent." "Uh-huh." "What were you doing with Kurt?" "I don't know. I mean, it's not like he introduced himself, like, "Hi, I'm possessive and controlling and I like to punch people. Wanna be my girlfriend?"." "Yeah, well, I guess we all make mistakes." "Yeah, well, mine's wanted by the police. You wanna know why I stayed with him truly? I was too insecure to leave."

He frowns, "I find that hard to believe. I mean, you don't really seem like the type." "Well, some stuff happened. My life changed, I changed. For the better, I think." "What happened?" "Well, for one thing, I got mugged." "And that's supposed to be a good thing?" She chuckles, "know, it sounds strange. And don't get me wrong, it rattled me. But then it hit me. I could keep feeling sorry for myself, or I could take control of my life. I chose the latter. First thing I did was tell Kurt he had to go." "Smart move." "Apparently. Everything else just opened up, blossomed. It's all been wonderful, really." He shrugs, "What? Doesn't everybody think that being a victim of random violence is the best thing that ever happened to them?" she says jokingly.

"Yeah, not so much. You're...unusual." he smiles, "Unusual, like.." she points to her head "Unusual?" "No. No. No, no, no. Unusual, like...impressive." "You think so?" As Andrew is about to answer, his phone rings. He smiles apologetically, "Sorry." he walks away and answers, "Hey." "I found him." "Good, don't take your eyes off him." Averie, takes her eyes off the stripper, glances at Kurt. He is sitting across the table, also watching the stripper. She looks back at the woman. "Oh, yeah, my eyes are glued. Look, Andy, I gotta let you go. I, uh, I don't wanna miss anything."

-

Andrew watches the full moon, Madeline walks over to him "I'm gonna turn in." he looks over at her, "You know, if you hear anything, I mean if you wake up, just – just call out." "Okay." she smiles, he watches as she goes into her bedroom and shuts the door. He sighs, frustrated with himself. Later, he is watching TV in the living room. He glances at Madeline's bedroom, but there's no sound of movement.

Meanwhile, Averie is standing on the street outside Kurt's house. She sees a light turn on inside the house and gets her gun ready. Suddenly, she hears glass shattering. She looks back up to see the lights off in the house. "What the--?" Averie runs to the house and bursts through the door. Entering one of the rooms, she sees the werewolf hovering over Kurt's mauled body.

It turns towards her. The werewolf is Madeline. Though she still looks human, her eyes have turned an electric blue, and her teeth have turned to bloody fangs. She growls and runs at Averie, pushing her into the wall. She cuts her arm with a knife, causing her to jump out the window and leave.

-

The next morning, Andrew is still at Madeline's apartment. He answers his ringing cell phone "Av, you okay?" "Yeah, now that I'm conscious. The werewolf knocked me out. Andrew, it's Madison." "What?" "Yeah, awesome job of keeping an eye on her." He walks over to the bedroom door and knocks, "Averie, I've been here the whole time. She's in bed, asleep." "Well, she wasn't an hour ago. Check her right arm below her elbow. I nicked her with a silver knife." Madeline rolls over and wakes up, hearing Andrew.

She gets up and opens the door, he looks down and sees the mark on her arm. Andrew, upset, leaves the bedroom. "Andrew? What's going on? Where are you going?" She follows him to the living room, where he is locking the front door. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going anywhere. And neither are you."

-

She is seated in a chair, with her wrists bound. Andrew is standing in front of her, holding a gun. "You're psychotic. The whole "I'm a cop" trip, God, I am so stupid." "Well, I guess neither of us are who we said we were, huh?" "Andrew, you're sick, okay? You're imagining things. Monsters don't exist, not really." "You know what? Save the act." "It's not an act! I am not a werewolf! There's no such thing! It's made up, all right? They're not real! You know they're not real!" she yells, starting to cry. "No? Then where did that come from?" he points at the wound, "I don't know! Andrew, God, you need help. Please, don't do something that you're gonna regret. I'm not what you think I am. I'm not."

Andrew, visibly upset, hears knocking at the door. He opens it to see Averie, who enters and smirks at Madeline, "How you doin'? My head feels great, thanks." "We've gotta talk." he brings her into another room. "She says she has no idea what I'm talking about." "She's lying." "Or maybe she really doesn't know she's changing, you know? Maybe – maybe when the creature takes over, she blacks out." "Like a really hot Incredible Hulk. Come on, dude, she ganked her boss and her ex-boyfriend. That doesn't sound rash and unconscious." "Yeah, but what if it was, Av? I mean, what if some animal part of her brain saw both those guys as threats? Hell, the cop, too."

"What are you, the Dog Whisperer now?" "Look, I just...I don't know, there – there was something in her eyes." "Yeah, she's killing people!" "But if she has no control over it—" "Exactly. She can't control it. Even if she's telling the truth, it's not gonna change anything." "I'm not putting a bullet through some girl's chest who has no idea what's happening." Averie scoffs, "Andrew, she's a monster, and you're feeling sorry for her?" "Maybe I understand her..Look, there might be another way we can get the job done without having to waste her." "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

He flips through the journal "Dad's theory –- "lycanthropy might have a cure if you kill the werewolf who bit you, severing the bloodline"." "Might have a cure. Meaning "who the hell knows?"" "It's worth a shot." "We don't even know where to start looking, all right? I mean, the puppy that bit her could be anyone, anywhere. It could've been years ago." "No. I don't think so." He leads her back into the living room, "Madison, when were you mugged? Please. It's important, all right? Just answer the question."

"About a month ago." "Did you see the guy?" "No. He grabbed me from behind." "Did he bite you?" "How did you know that?" "Where?" "On the back of my neck." He sets his gun down and brushes her hair away, exposing a scarred lump the size of a golf ball on her neck. Averie peaks over his shoulder "Oh, that's just a love bite. Believe me, that could have been a lot worse. Where were you at the time?" "Walking home from a friend's loft." "Let me guess. Not too far from Hunter's Point?" she nods.

He takes Averie into the other room again, "The same place where those other murders happened. I'm telling you, it's a werewolf's hunting grounds." "Maybe, but that doesn't mean it's gonna be out there tonight." "It's the right time of the lunar cycle. Look, I know it's a long shot." "Hey, you're forgetting something. Maddie's probably gonna turn soon, all right? We can't just let her take off to an all-you-can-eat buffet." "I'll stay with her." "And if she busts loose?" "I'll do it." "Andrew." "I'll shoot her, all right? But Av, I need you to go out there. At least go look for the thing. Averie, please. We can save this girl."

"Fine." she leaves the apartment. Andrew rejoins Madeline, who is still crying. "Please. Just let me go." He looks at her sympathetically and sits in front of her, "Look...I know you're scared. I also know that there's no way in hell you're gonna believe me. But I'm doing this because I'm trying to help you. I'm not gonna lie, all right, the odds aren't exactly in our favor. But if this goes the way I pray it does...I'll untie you, and I'll walk out that door and I'll never come back. You'll live the rest of your life. And I'll just be a bad memory."

-

Andrew is watching the full moon while Madeline sits in the chair. Suddenly, her fingernails grow, stretching into claws. Her eyes turn bright blue and she bares her fangs. He turns just as she breaks loose from the chair. She knocks him to the ground, but he quickly gets up, aiming his gun. He keeps his gun aimed at her. Just as she lunges at him, he moves out of the way, forcing her into her bedroom. He moves the entertainment center in front of the door, trapping her inside.

~HUNTER'S POINT~

A woman is walking the dark street alone. She stops when she hears an animal howling, she starts running down the street, the werewolf catches up with her, dragging her across the pavement. "Hey!" Averie yells, the werewolf looks up just as she shoots him. It is revealed that the werewolf is Madeline's neighbor, Glen. The woman stands up, frightened, and glances at Averie before running away.

She crouches next to Glen, who is coughing and choking. His mouth is covered in blood. After a moment, his fangs retract, and he returns to normal. "What happened? Where am I? Help – help me. Oh, God. Oh my God." "All right, easy, Glen. Just take it easy." She watches as he dies, his eyes glazing over.

~MADELINE's APARTMENT. MORNING~

She wakes up as Andrew opens the bedroom door. "It should be over now. You'll never see me again." Standing, Madeline's surveys the bedroom. Furniture is overturned, and there are claw marks covering every inch of the walls. When she turns around, he is gone.

Averie and Andrew are parked outside the building. "It was sort of sad, actually. Glen had no clue what was going on. Hey, why do you think he turned Madeline instead of just killing her in the first place?" "I don't know. I mean, he kind of seemed to have a thing for her." "Maybe his primal instinct did, too. Maybe he was looking for a little, uh, hot breeding action." "Yeah. Something like that." She smirks "So?" "So what?" "Speaking of Madeline-" "Oh, whatever." "Don't "whatever" me, man, you liked her. Maybe, uh—"

"Av, she thought I was a stark-raving lunatic." "You saved her life." "Yeah, but she doesn't know that." As he says that she knocks on the Impala's window, "You know, for a stake-out, your car's a bit conspicuous. What are you still doing here?" "Honestly? Uh, we're pretty sure you're not gonna turn tonight, but we've gotta be a hundred percent, so...you know, we're lurking." "I know this sounds crazy." "Sure does. Well, if we're gonna wait it out...we might as well do it together."

She lets them in, "You were telling the truth, weren't you? About everything. What you did –- it was to help me." "Yeah." Andrew says "I did all of those horrible things...when I turned." "You didn't know." "So, when will we know for sure? Moonrise?" "No, I don't think so. You turned middle of the night last night. I think we've gotta hang in until sun-up." Averie nods and looks at the clock, "Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a few hours to kill. Poker, anyone?"

Hours later they watch from the window as the sun comes up. "Does...does this mean it worked?" he smiles "Yeah. I think so." "Oh, God, thank you. Thank you so much." She gives him a hug. Averie clears her throat, and they pull away. "You, too, Averie. Thank you." "Aw, don't mention it. So, I'm just gonna head back to the hotel and...watch some Pay-Per-View or something." She leaves the apartment, looking at them as she does, "That was smooth." "He means well, but..." "You mean, she thinks you're gonna get laid."

He looks away, "Look, I-" "It's okay." "No. I know I scared the crap out of you, all right? I mean, I tied you to a chair." "That's right up there with me scratching up your face." "There's just no way we could go back, you know? Before it happened." "You're right. There's just no way." He shakes his head. Then, after a moment, she gives in and kisses him. He kisses her back, leading her towards the bedroom.

The next morning, Andrew wakes up and looks around. He hears a growl and turns to see Madeline, who has returned to her werewolf form, eyes blue and fangs bared. Before he can catch her, she jumps out the window, leaving him stunned.

~MOTEL~

Andrew runs down the hall to Averie's room, pounding on the door. She opens it, "She turned." "What?" "I couldn't grab her in time." "We'll find her, Andy." "I already called Dean. He doesn't know anything. Except he knew severing the bloodline wouldn't work. That's everyone. They all say it's impossible to reverse it." She puts a hand on his shoulder, "How come she didn't turn when we were with her?" "Av-" "So, what, you put her to bed and then she wolfed out? Maybe she's gotta be asleep to turn." "What the hell does it matter, Av? Look, we've gotta find some way to help her, some legend we missed or something." "If there was, don't you think someone we know would've known it?"

"Well, then we have to look harder until we find something." "Andy, I don't think we've got a choice here anymore." "What?" "I hate to say it. She's a sweet girl, but part of her is—" He tears up "Evil." "Yeah." "Yeah, that's what they keep saying about me, Av. So, me you won't kill, but her you're just gonna blow away?!" his phone rings and he answers it. "Andrew?" "Madeline! Where are you?" "I don't – I don't – I don't know where I am." "Well, do you see any street signs?" "Um...yeah, yeah, Middle Point." "All right, hold on, Maddie. We're coming to get you, just stay where you are."

~MADELINE'S APARTMENT~

The three of them are in the living room. The gun is sitting on the table, "I don't remember anything. I probably killed someone last night, didn't I?" "There's no way to know yet." Averie says "Is there something else we can try to make it go away?" "We'll find something. I mean, there's gotta be some answer, somewhere." Andrew says, Averie frowns "That's not entirely true. Madeline, you deserve to know. We've scoured every source. There's just no cure." "Is she right?" Getting emotional, he turns away, Averie sighs "Well, we could lock you up at night, but...when you bust out, and some night you will, someone else dies. I'm sorry. I am."

"So, I guess that's all there is to it, then." he turns back to her "Stop it. Don't talk like that." "Andrew, I don't wanna hurt anyone else. I don't wanna hurt you." She grabs the gun and hands it to him, "Put that down." "I can't do it myself. I need you to help me." "Madeline, no." "Andrew, I'm a monster." "You don't have to be. We can find a way, all right? I can. I'm gonna save you." "You tried. I know you tried. But this is all there is left. Help me, Andrew. I want you to do it. I want it to be you." "I can't. "I don't wanna die. I don't. But I can't live like this. This is the way you can save me. Please. I'm asking you to save me."

Andrew shakes his head, Averie walks over to them and carefully takes the gun from her. She follows him into another room. "Andrew. I'm sorry." he starts crying "No, you're right. She's right." "Andy, I got this one. I'll do it." "She asked me to." "You don't have to." "Yes, I do. Please." He holds his hand out for the gun, tears streaming down his face. She hands it to him, "Just wait here Av." He glances back at her, shaking, before heading back to the living room. Averie, now alone, lets a tear roll down her cheek. She flinches as she hears a single gunshot from the next room.

Andrew drops to his knees, sobbing, she goes over to him and hugs him tightly. He drops the gun and sits there in her arms, "It'll be okay, trust me Andy. It's all over now." He clings to her, not able to say anything, she closes her eyes as he screams into her shoulder. Why? Why does he have to go through all of this? she thinks.


	18. Hollywood Babylon

WOODS. NIGHT~

A young girl, Wendy, is exiting an abandoned house. She is searching with a flashlight, clearly scared, “Mitch? Ashley? You out here? Come on, guys! Where are you? Hello? Hello?!” she turns the corner and sees someone “Brody!” “Ashley and Todd - they're dead! Wendy, they're dead!” “Brody, pull it together.” “Pull it together?! We don't have a chance, okay? We have to get out of here now!” “No, Brody, we are not leaving. We have got to find my sister.” “No! No, I am getting out of here right now!”

He runs off in the other direction, “Brody! Brody, get back here! Brody! God, you son of a bitch!” She hears movement behind her and stops crying. When she turns, she lets out a long, loud scream, but quickly begins to look annoyed. It is revealed that the girl is on a movie set. A camera is in her face, with a tennis ball fixed to the top, representing the monster she's supposed to be screaming at. She stops screaming, looking disgusted. The director, McG, watches from the sidelines. “Cut! What the hell was that?”

The lights come up on the set. A props guy takes the flashlight from the actress playing Wendy, Tara Benchley. A production assistant, Walter Dixon, hands Tara a Snapple, “Here you go.” “Thanks, Walter.” McG walks over to Tara, who is shaking up her drink. “It's all good, Tara, that was great. Let's do it again. Uh, maybe try dialing up that scream, huh?” “I know. I know. I'm just... I'm having trouble with the tennis ball.” “Oh, that is just for CG registration. Now, when Ivan and the FX guys are done, it is going to look terrifying. Do you wanna look at the concept sketches again? Will that help?”

“No, that's okay. I'll find it, I'll find it.” “I know you will, pumpkin.” Tara sits in her chair by Rick, the actor playing Brody. Another set worker, Frank, is talking to them, “Oh, man, I'm telling you - working alone behind the sets, or after wrap? I catch this weird vibe sometimes.” “Oh, like what?” Rick asks, “Like something's watching.” “Come on.” “Hey, working on a movie like this? Weird crap is bound to happen.” Rick whispers to Tara, “Frank here thinks the stage is haunted. Like, for real.” She laughs, “All I'm saying is, they call wrap, I'd get done, and I'd get out of here. Fast.” He walks away, “That guy is definitely off his meds.” they both laugh.

Later, Tara is standing in the middle of the "woods", going over her lines. “Brody, come back! You son of a bitch!” She tries practicing the scream, but she can't quite get it, “Brody, come back! You son of a bitch!” Again, she tries screaming, she hears someone on the set nearby. “Hello? Guys? Come on, it's not funny.” there’s silence, “Okay, haha, very funny.” She hears someone again, “Who's there?” She keeps walking among the forest scenery, until she sees a baseball cap fall in front of her.

She looks up to the scaffolding and very quickly sees a male ghost, before it vanishes. Then, she notices that Frank is dead, lying on his stomach while blood covers his face. She lets out a long, bloodcurdling scream. On the other side of the set, McG and the production crew hear Tara’s scream, “Now that's what I'm talkin' about!”

~LOS ANGELES, WARNER BROS. STUDIOS.~

Andrew and Averie are taking part in the trolley tour of the studio, passing by movie and television sets. “First opened in 1927, the lot has been in continuous operation for eight decades.” Averie hits Andrew’s arm, “Hey, you know this is where they filmed Creepshow?” he ignores her. “Now, to the right, here is Stars Hollow. It's the setting for the television series, Gilmore Girls. And if we're lucky, we might even catch one of the show's stars.” She smiles, Andrew looks uncomfortable and turns to her “Come on.” “Let's finish the tour! C’mon I might see Jared-”

He gets off and drags her along, she frowns then looks up, “Andy, look, it’s Matt Damon!” “Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not Matt Damon.” “No, it is.” “Well, Matt Damon just picked up a broom and started sweeping.” “Yeah, well, he's probably researching a role or something.” “I don't think so.” She frowns, he sees a sign and starts walking to it “This way. I think Stage 9 is over here.” “Come on, man, let's keep going this way.” “No, come on, we've gotta work.” She groans, he turns to her looking upset, “Averie, you wanted to come to L.A.” “Yeah, for a vacation. I mean, swimming pools and movie stars, not to work.” “This seem like swimming pool weather to you? I mean, it's practically Canadian.”

“Yeah. I just figured that after everything that happened with Madison, you could use a little R-and-R, that's all.” “Well, maybe I wanna work, Av. Maybe it keeps my mind off things.” She bites her lip “Okay, okay. All right. So, this crew guy - he died on set?” “Yeah, rumors spreading like wildfire online saying the set's haunted.” “Like Poltergeist?” “It could be a poltergeist.” “No, no. Like, the movie Poltergeist.” He shrugs, she shakes her head, “You know nothing of your cultural heritage, do you? It was rumored that the set of Poltergeist was cursed. That they used real human bones as props. And, like, at least three of the actors died in it.”

“Yeah, it might be something like that.” he says, sighing “All right, so this crew guy - what's his name?” “Frank Jaffey.” “Frank Jaffey - he got a death certificate or a coroner's report or anything?” “Well, no. But it's LA, you know? It might not even be his real name. But the girl who found him said she saw something - a vanishing figure.” “What's the girl's name?” “Tara Benchley.” Averie’s face lights up with excitement “Whoa, whoa, Tara Benchley? From FeardotCom and Ghost Ship, Tara Benchley? Dude, why didn't you say so?” “So now you’re on board?” “Oh, I mean, I'm just a fan of her work. She's very good.”

~STAGE 9 MOVIE SET~

One of the studio execs for the movie, Brad Redding, is talking to McG and the producer, Jay Wiley. “No, look, don't get me wrong. Everyone at the studio loves the dailies, myself included. We were just wondering if it could be... you know, a little brighter.” Brad says, Jay looks at him “Brighter?” “Yeah, Jay. More color. McG, you know what I'm saying, you're the master of that stuff.” “Brad, this is a horror movie.” “And who says horror has to be dark? It's sort of depressing, don't you think?”

He sees Averie and Andrew enter the set, “Uh, excuse me, kid?” Averie points to herself, “Yeah, you. Come here.” She exchanges a look with Andrew before going over, “Can you get me a smoothie from Kraft?” “You want a smoothie from who?” “You are a P.A. This is what you do, you should know that.” Brad says, scoffing. Andrew quickly walks over to "save" her. “Yeah, yeah... uh, one smoothie coming right up.” They walk away, she looks up at him, “What's a P.A.?” “I think they're kind of like slaves.” She gives Brad a thumbs up, “They'll let anybody in this business, huh?”

Later, the cast and crew are getting ready to resume shooting. Averie sets down the tray of smoothies she had gotten and starts to go up the stairs to the scaffolding. Suddenly, the lights on set go down, and the actors begin their take. “Why don't we take it from, "Come on, it'll be fun." And, action!” McG calls out. The actors are now standing inside the abandoned house, and "Wendy", played by Tara, has a book open in front of her. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” She begins reading from the book in very choppy Latin.

While she is doing so, Averie makes her way up the scaffolding. She takes out her EMF meter and scans the area, but nothing happens. Meanwhile, Tara is trying her best to read the Latin, but is barely getting through it. “Maybe we'll finish this up tomorrow.” McG says, Rick starts mocking her, she giggles and breaks character “Oh my God, I hate you so much right now.” “Cut!” The cast and crew all begin laughing, “Very nice.” McG says as the actors start laughing. A few minutes later, Andrew joins Averie at the Kraft services table.

“So?” he asks her “No EMF anywhere.” “Great. So, what do you think?” “Well, I think being a P.A. sucks. But the food these people get, are you kidding me? Look at these things.” she picks up a sandwich, “They're like miniature Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. They're delicious.” She holds one out to him, “Maybe later.” she shrugs and takes a bite. “What'd you find out about the dead crew guy?” “Frank Jaffey was just filling in for the day. Nobody here knew him or where he lived or anything.” “Oh, great. So you found out about as much as I did.” “No, not quite-” Walter walks over “Hey guys.” “Oh, hey” She watches Walter walk away with a sandwich, “They’re good, you’ll like ‘em.”

Andrew chuckles, “Listen, I did dig up some stuff about Stage 9's history.” “Yeah?” “Yeah, four people died messy here over the past eighty years. Two suicides and two fatal accidents.” “Any one of those could be a vengeful spirit.” “Yeah. We've just gotta narrow it down more.” Averie smiles as she notices Tara walk onto set, “I'll get right on that.” She walks over to Tara, grabbing a call sheet from one of the set workers as he walks by.

Nervously, she steps up to her. “Are you supposed to get one of these?” she looks up at her and smiles, noticing her good looks. “I-I don't really know what I'm doing.” “First day?” “Yeah. My big break.” Tara smiles, Averie’s face flushes red, she thinks of something “You know, I know it's really uncool to say this, but I'm a big fan. I loved you in Boogeyman.” “Oh, God, what a terrible script. But thank you.” “Yeah...You found him, right? The dead guy?” She watches as Tara frowns and nods, “I'm sorry, you probably don't even wanna talk about this.”

“No, no, actually. It's okay. Nobody around here really brings it up very much. I think they're all scared I'm gonna have some kind of breakdown.” “That must have been awful. What happened?” “It was horrible. There was all this blood coming from his eyes and from his mouth. And, uh... I saw this, um…” she stops embarrassed, “What?” “I saw this shape. To tell you the truth, I don't actually know what I saw. I just know I saw it.” “So, this crew guy, Frank - did you know him?” “No, not that well.” “It's funny, it's like no one around here actually knew the guy.” “I've got his picture.”

Averie looks confused, “You do?” Tara smiles “Yeah. Me and Ackles take Polaroids of all the crew. It's just one of those things you do to kill time on set.” She nods as Tara pulls out a binder from her bag and starts flipping through it, “Right there.” Averie looks at the picture and notices something. “Son of a bitch.” she whispers.

~ST. JAMES RESIDENCE~

Averie knocks on the door. A man opens it to see Andrew and her outside, “Gerard St. James?” The man, who looks exactly like Frank, nods. “Yes?” “You're still alive. And you're not Frank Jaffey.” Andrew says, “Uh, no.” “You were Desert Soldier Number Four in Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, right?” Averie asks, smiling “I was.” “I knew I recognized you. I am a fan. I mean, your turn as a tractor crash victim in Critters 3?” “Critters 3!? I didn’t know anyone liked that.” “Yeah.” “Well, please, come in.”

They enter the house while Gerard brings them coffee. There are pictures lining the walls of him, merely an actor, portraying various characters. “Yeah, it was the producers. They brought me up for the day to play Frank.” “Just to fake your death?” “Well, rumors of a haunted film set, free publicity, especially when you're making a horror movie. It's already all over the Internet.” “Like what they did on M-” Andrew glares at her “Yeah. We know.” “These days, it's all about new media, building buzz. They say I'm the new LonelyGirl.”

“And the ghost Tara saw?” “Projected on a screen of diffusion.” “Isn't that kind of cruel? Messing with their heads like that?” “Hey, I just play the part. I don't write the script. Speaking of, I'm playing Willy in a dinner theatre production of ''Salesman at Costa Mesa'', all next month.” He hands her a flyer, “You get a free pepper steak with the coupon.” “Now, wait a second. If you're seen in public, won't that ruin the hoax?” “Oh, please. Frank and Willy? Totally different characters.” “You know what? Thanks very much, Mr. St. James. It was just nagging at us. But we're very glad... you know, you're alive and well.”

Averie nods, “Absolutely. I wanted to ask you... what was it like working with Richard Moll?” Andrew looks at her confused, “Metalstorm. He was Hurok, King of the Cyclops people.” she whispers to him. Gerard chuckles, “He was a gentlemen’s gentleman.” “Yeah?” He smiles and takes their cups to the kitchen, they leave and she looks up at Andrew “I take back what I said before,, 100%, this is better than what we could’ve been doing.” “Okay superfan, let’s just go see what else we can find.”

~STAGE 9 MOVIE SET~

The actors playing "Mitch" and "Kendra" are filming in the abandoned house. “When we read from that book, we must have brought them back. Back from hell.” While "Kendra" delivers her line, Dave, the sound guy, receives static feedback through his headphones, distorting the dialogue. “It doesn't matter. We're not going anywhere until we find Wendy and her sister. Got it? Good. Now let's get busy.” “Cut! Very nice.” McG says, “No good for sound. I'm getting some kind of feedback.” The cast and crew sigh, “Another costly sound delay. All right, we're going again for sound, people!”

On another area of set, Brad pulls McG and the writer, Marty away for a moment. “No, no, look. It's a great scene, really, dynamite. But I've still got a few...not problems, just questions.” “Like what?” McG asks annoyed, “Well, for one thing, the rules aren't really landing for me. Like, the kids do this Latin chant, and that makes the ghosts show up?” “Yeah.” “See, but if the ghosts are in hell, how do they hear the chanting? I mean, what do they have, super-hearing? It's a logic bump. The rules don't track.”

McG looks over “Marty, you're the writer.” “What if I throw in an explainer?” Brad smiles “Yeah, that'd be super. Excuse me, I've gotta check some messages.” McG glares at him as he walks away “Suits.” Brad wanders off to another area of set, alone. While looking at his Blackberry, he notices a woman behind him. She is in ghostly white make-up from head to toe, dressed in a robe. She is wearing dark lipstick and has black marks on her neck, clearly formed by ropes.

She doesn't say anything, but smirks at him, “Has McG seen this? I like the whole body paint, black-and-white thing. But gee, I don't think those neck wounds are really gonna read on camera. They need to be red. You know what I'm saying?” he turns around and yells to the other side of the set “Hey, Jay? I need to speak to make-up right away.” The woman moves closer and taps him on the shoulder. He turns back around to face her, “Yeah?” the woman, still silent, takes off her robe in front of him.

He watches as she turns and walks up the stairs to the scaffolding. “I’ll be right up.” he says, smirking. A few minutes later, the actors resume filming. “When we read from that book, we must have brought them back. Back from hell.” “But I don't understand. If they were in hell, how could they hear our chanting?” “They must have super-hearing!” Suddenly, the ceiling of the abandoned house caves in, and Brad falls through, hanging from a noose. The actors scream and run off set. Brad’s Bluetooth falls to the floor as he hangs there, dead.

-THE NEXT MORNING-

The actors are filming once again, where they had left off the previous day. Tara’s character, "Wendy", enters the abandoned house. “Wendy?” “Oh, Mitch! God, you're alive!” “You can't get rid of me that easily.” Rumble, rumble, rumble! “Salt. Okay, we need salt. I read in that book that it keeps ghosts away. Kendra, Logan, you guys check the back.” Off-camera, Marty begins whispering to the producer, Jay. “Jay, the poor bastard killed himself. Like, for real. Shouldn't we shut it down or something?” “We had a moment of silence for him at breakfast. He was just a studio guy.”

Averie stands nearby and watches them film, eating something from the Kraft table, “I love you.” “I know.” He shines his flashlight directly in Tara's face. “Sorry.” he says laughing, “Can we cut or something?” Tara says, smiling. “Uh... yeah, cut. Cut!” Averie drops the microphone on her headset “That's a cut!” she resumes eating her food. McG walks over to Tara, who stands near Averie now “Hey, what's up?” “I'm sorry. I'm just a little upset.” “Well, with everything that's been going on around here, who can blame you?” “I just can't wrap my head around the dialogue, you know? Salt? Doesn't that sound silly? I mean, why would a ghost be afraid of salt?”

Averie chuckles smirks. “Okay, um... Marty?” “Yo.” he says walking over, “What do you think?” “Not married to salt, what do you want? We still sticking with condiments?” “It just sounds different, not better. What else would a ghost be scared of?” Walter rolls his eyes, Averie looks at him “Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.” “Jay, what would a ghost be scared of?” Marty asks, “Maybe shotguns.” “Okay, that makes even less sense than salt.” “These people are idiots.” Walter mutters, walking away.

Andrew looks confused and walks up to Averie. “Walter's a little testy for a P.A., huh?” she asks, “How's it going in here?” “It is going really good, man. Tara's really stepped up her performance. I think it's probably from all the sense memory stuff she's drawing on.” “Sense memory?” “Yeah” “Av, you know when I ask how it's going in here, I'm talking about the case, right? We don't really work here. You know, I thought you hated being a P.A.” “I don't know. It's not so bad. I kind of feel like part of the team, you know?” she holds out her plate to him, “Want one? You haven’t eaten much.” “No. Umm.. Listen, I conned my way into the morgue.” “And?” “News reports were right: Brad's a doornail, no question.”

Averie drops her microphone again after hearing something, “Copy that. I'm sorry, what?” she asks him “Did you say Copy that?” “What did you say? “The news reports were right. Brad's a doornail-” “They are aware.” she says into the headset “Who's aware?” “I'm sorry, what were you saying Andy?” “Uh.. The newspaper's right: Brad's a doornail, no question about it.” “I guess it's a good thing we didn't skip town.” “Yeah.” She looks up at him “Oh, come here. I want you to hear something.” she listens to the headset “Copy that. On my way” She leads him over to the sound guy, Dave.

“Hey, Dave. Can you play him that thing you were playing me earlier?” “Sure.” He hands a pair of headphones to Andrew. “Thanks.” He listens to the audio of one of the scenes in the movie. Midway through the dialogue, the sound becomes static and distorted. Him and Averie exchange a look.

~OUTSIDE~

“EVP.” Andrew says, “From the night of Brad's stage dive. All of a sudden, I'm getting electromagnetic readings up the wazoo. For some reason, it's a legit haunting now.” “Well, who's the ghost, Av? What's it want?” “I don't know. I think we should take a look at Brad's death scene.” She leads him to one of the trailers with her name on it. Once inside, she pops a DVD into the television. “Hey, where'd you get this DVD?” he asks “They're called dailies. I got it from Cindy. She's kind of got this on-and-off thing going with Drew. He dubbed me an extra copy.” They watch the footage of the scene, complete with Brad’s surprise entrance.

“All right, here's where the guy fell through the roof.” she has it paused “Right.” “All right, here we go.” ”They must have super-hearing.” Suddenly, Brad falls through the ceiling of the set, hanging by a noose. “Hey, wait, go back, go back.” she rewinds the tape, he points “Right after. Right aft- yeah right. Wait. There.” On the screen, it’s a completely different set and standing in the far corner of the set, is the ghostly white woman who led Brad to his death.

“It's like Three Men and a Baby all over again.” Averie mutters, Andrew looks at her, confused “Selleck, Danson, and Guttenberg. And... I don't know who played the baby.” “What's your point?” “There's a scene in the movie where people say that the camera caught a ghost on film. Apparently, in the background of one of the scenes, there was this boy that nobody remembers from set. Spirit photography.” He nods and looks back at the TV, “I've seen her before.”

~INSIDE~

Averie, headset in place, is sitting with Andrew at a table. He hands her a print-out of an article, “Here. Check this out.” she listens to the headset “Yeah, go for Ozzy. (...) No, I don't have a 20 on Jensen, I think he's 10-100. (...) Okay, copy that.” She looks at the paper then at him, “I'm sorry, what were you saying?” “Elise Drummond -- starlet back in the thirties. Had an affair with a studio exec. He uses her up, fires her, leaves her destitute, so Elise hangs herself from Stage 9's rafters, right into a scene they're shooting.” “Just like our man, Brad. So, what, she's got it in for the studio brass?” “Possibly. I mean, it's a motive. And Brad's death matches hers exactly.” “We're digging tonight, aren't we?”

-

The crew is cleaning up for the day. “That's a wrap, people! 6:00 AM call for the crew tomorrow!” Jay smiles, “Great work, everybody! McG, you're a genius.” He shakes McG's hand “You're kicking ass and taking names.” “Night, Jay.” he says laughing.

~"HOLLYWOOD FOREVER" CEMETERY. NIGHT~

Andrew and Averie are walking through, shovels in hand. “Which way?” Averie holds a map “Uh... over here. Hey.” “Yeah?” She gestures to a memorial for Humpty Dumpty, “This map is totally worth the five bucks! Hey, we've gotta go check out Johnny Ramone's grave when we're done here.” “You wanna dig him up, too?” “Bite your tongue, heathen!” they pass another memorial “Oh, that's cool.” “You know, Av, what I don't get is why now? I mean, after seventy-five years, Elise Drummond suddenly goes homicidal, you know? Why this movie?” “Well, maybe she's mad they're making a scary ghost flick”

He scoffs “Come on, is it really that scary?” “Here we go.” they reach Elise's headstone. “Yep. All right.” “Yahtzee.” they start digging.

~STAGE 9 MOVIE SET~

Jay is all alone on the dark set, talking on his cell phone. “I know. No, I friggin' hate McG's dailies. I can't control the guy. I'm telling you, next one, I'm directing myself. (...) What, you? No, Bob. You, I love. You're a genius! You're kicking ass and taking names. (...) Yeah, okay. Yeah. Talk to you later.” He hangs up, “What a dick.” The lights suddenly go out on the set, “Oh, great. Hey, guys! Producer walking here, hello!”

~”HOLLYWOOD FOREVER” CEMETERY.~

The Walkers have finished digging and open the coffin to see Elise's corpse. They pour salt over the bones and burn them.

~STAGE 9 MOVIE SET~

While Jay tries to get around the forest scenery in the dark, he sees a man walk by. “Hey! Hey, pal! Can you show me to the exit? I can't see a damn thing here.” The man, turned away from Jay, doesn't move “Hey! Hey, putz! I'm talking to you! Somebody could get hurt here”. Suddenly, the man turns around. His face has been slashed, and a section of his skull has been split open. He has blood running down his mouth. He screams and falls to the ground, “What the hell?!” the fans on set turn on by themselves. The ghost flickers and vanishes. Jay tries to crawl away, but the fan drags him backwards. He gets sucked into the fan and torn apart, blood spraying everywhere.

-MORNING-

Andrew and Averie watch as the police examine the crime scene where Jay was killed. “Run-in with a giant fan. Same thing happened to an electrician back in '66, a guy named Billy Beard.” “What the hell, dude?” “I don't know. Doesn't seem like Elise this time, either. It's not her M.O.” “No, we already torched her. So, what, are we dealing with another ghost?” “Maybe.” “Yeah, but these things don't usually tag-team.”

Outside in the lot, McG is getting out of his car. He gathers the cast and crew, including them. “Everybody! Gather around, okay! I've got an announcement to make. Everyone! Huddle in! In light of Jay's accident last night, and in cooperation with the authorities, we're shutting down production for a few days. I know, I know. Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. We've had a few setbacks this week. But we all know what Jay and Brad wanted more than anything. And that was to see Hell Hazers 2: The Reckoning on screens all across America! Now, we owe it to them to go on and to pull together and make this damn movie, huh?” There’s a few cheers from the crowd, “But not today. Go home. Someone will call you.”

~TRAILER~

Andrew is inside, watching more of the dailies. "Wendy" is reading in Latin when she is interrupted by "Kendra". “Wendy, don't.” “What are you, afraid of ghosts? Come on, it'll be fun.” “Hey.” Averie says, climbing in “Hey. So, you find out where the electrician's buried?” “He wasn't. Billy Beard was cremated.” “Great. Now what?” “No idea. Any more ghost cameos in the dailies?” “Not in the first six hours. You know, maybe the spirits are trying to shut down the movie because they think it sucks. Because, I mean, it kind of does.”

“Come on, it'll be fun.” She continues reading in Latin. Andrew suddenly notices something and rewinds. He sits up and listens closer to the Latin. “Listen to the invocation. Av, that's the real deal -- a necromantic summoning ritual. What the hell is that doing in a Hollywood movie?”

~MOVIE STUDIOS~

Marty is on the phone in his office. “No, dude, we're down for a few days - force majeure. (...) Yeah. It's cool, though. Gives me time to pitch that time-travel thing. (...) Yeah. All right, get back to me on this, all right? Seriously. (...) No, I'm serious. (...) Dude, are you serious? 'Cause I'm serious.” He looks up and notices Averie and Andrew at the door, “All right. Cool” He hangs up, “Guys, we're all shut down. What are you still doing here?” Andrew sighs “Yeah, uh... sorry, man. We couldn't help ourselves. We just had to tell you that we read the script.” “And?” “Yeah. Uh... it's awesome.”

Averie nods “Awesome. Really awesome.” Marty smiles, “I know, it's pretty rockin', right? I'm glad you guys liked it.” “Yeah, I really liked all the attention to detail.” “Dude, right on, that's my thing. Color me guilty, but that is me. I'm a total detail buff.” “No, I can tell. I mean, the way you worked in all those Enochian summoning rituals and all the authentic language.” “What, you mean that Latin crap? No, man, that's Walter. Walter Dixon, the original writer. You like that garbage?” She looks at him confused “Wait, "Walter the P.A." Walter?” “No, he's not a P.A. He's got a clause in his contract that allows him to come on set.” “But he wrote the invocations?”

“He wrote a whack-job screenplay. There's no pace, there's no love interest, it's all wackadoo exposition. I had to cut, like, ninety percent of it to make it readable, the other ten percent to make it good.” “Well, can we have the original script? I think it'd be fun to see what changed.” “Of course, Doll. Let me get it.” Andrew looks over at her and she smiles.

~TRAILER. LATER~

The Walkers are reading Walter’s screenplay, Lord of the Dead. “Should've kept Walter's original script. It's actually pretty good.” she says, “Yeah. And it reads like a how-to manual of conjuration, like a textbook on how to summon ghosts and get them to do whatever you want.” “Yeah, like kill people.” “Yep. So, let's say somewhere down the line, Walter learned some pretty black magic.” “Yeah?” “And let's say he's pissed at these people for wrecking his movie.” “Motive and means. It's worth checking out.”

~STAGE 9 MOVIE SET; FOREST SCENERY~

Marty walks among the forest scenery and spots Walter. “So, you wanted to meet?” there’s no response “Hey, I'm a little busy here, buddy. I'm working on a script.” “Oh, yeah. You guys worked on it a lot.” Marty scoffs “It needed work. Now, why couldn't we have done this in my office?” “You know, the history, the lore in my draft was completely accurate. We could've gotten it right for the first time ever in this whorehouse of a town. But you tore it to shreds. You replaced it with cleavage and fart jokes. It was real.” Walter says, turning around “Who gives a rat's ass about "real"? We're talking about ghosts here, Walter. There's no such thing!”

“That's where you're wrong, Martin.” He raises his hand, holding a talisman, and begins chanting in Latin. Marty rolls his eyes, “Okay, nutjob. End of meeting.” he turns around and comes face-to-face with the same ghost that killed Jay. Screaming, he falls to the floor and begins to get dragged towards the fans, “Oh, God, no! Please, no!” “You ruined it, Martin! Everything I worked for!” “Oh, God! Walter!” “Now you're gonna find out what being a ghost is really like.” “Walter, please! Walter, help me!”

Just as he is inches away from the fan, a shotgun goes off, blasting the ghost away. Averie runs over, weapon in hand, while Andrew turns off the fan. “You are one hell of a P.A.” “Yeah, I know.” Walter looks at them “What are you doing?” “I could ask you the same thing, Walter.” he turns away and begins climbing up the stairs to the scaffolding. “Raising these spirits from the dead? Making them murder for you? That's playing with fire, Walter!” “You don't understand.” “You know what? You're right, I don't understand.”

He looks at Andrew as he follows him “Just... wait, look. You put your heart and soul into something, years of hard work. It's years, and then they take it! And they crap all over it! And then they want you to smile and say, "Thank you".” “Walter, listen. It's just a movie. That's it.” “Look... I've got nothing against you, man. You're not part of this. Just please, please, just leave. But Martin's gotta stay.” Averie chuckles “Sorry, can't do that. It's not that we like him or anything, it's just a matter of principle.” “Then I'm sorry, too.”

He raises the talisman again. “Walter. Walter, pl- don't.” he begins his chanting. The set begins to shake, and three ghosts appear, including the man who murdered Jay. “Andrew!” Averie yells, she raises her gun. The ghosts, all of whom are deformed in some way, begin walking closer. “Come on, come on.” she mutters. Suddenly, they disappear. Then, out of nowhere, Andrew is knocked to the floor - the ghosts are now invisible.

She helps him up. “Come on, come on! Move!” The Walkers and Marty begin running away while the lights on set begin firing off. The three of them run into another building and shut the door behind them. Averie reloads her gun and quotes Bruce Willis as "John McClane" from "Die Hard", with accent and all. This includes the light shining down over her face, similar to that of the original "Die Hard" scene. "Come out to the coast! We'll get together, have a few laughs!" She looks angry and then she turns around and realizes they have entered the abandoned house set, and they haven't actually reached any real shelter.

“I can't believe this. Ghosts are real!” Marty says terrified, Averie turns to him annoyed “What makes you say that?” They look around, ready to fight, “But I don't understand. How is Walter controlling them?” Andrew sighs “Probably that talisman.” He takes out his cell phone, Marty looks at him “What are you doing?” “I mean, if film cameras pick these suckers up, then... maybe…” He uses his cell phone camera to scan the room, the camera suddenly picks up one of the ghosts a few feet away, heading straight for Averie. “Av! Right there!” he points and Averie shoots it, the ghost disappears. “Got him.” he picks up another ghost, “Hey! Right there!” she shoots again.

They then notice Walter walking around the upper level. Andrew hands his phone to Marty, “Here, you get the idea?” “Yeah.” “All right, you hold them off. I'm going after Walter.” He races off the set after Walter, “I cannot believe there's an afterlife.” “Oh, there's an afterlife, all right. But mostly, it's a pain in the ass.” he keeps scanning the room with the phone, “There!” he ducks to his left as she shoots.

Walter leaves the set through the back exit and comes face-to-face with Andrew. “It's over, Walter. Now give it to me.” he throws the talisman on the ground, shattering it. “There, okay? Now no one can have it.” Andrew looks at him terrified “I wouldn't have done that if I were you.” “Oh, yeah?” “Yeah.” “And why not?” “Because you just freed them. We can't stop them now. Walter, you brought them back, forced them to murder. They're not gonna be very happy with you.” Marty and Averie join them outside. “Yeah? So, why not?” he suddenly falls to the ground and begins screaming in pain. Blood begins to seep through his clothing. Marty raises the cell phone and sees all of the ghosts tearing Walter apart.

~STAGE 9 MOVIE SET. FEW DAYS LATER~

The crew has resumed filming. "Kendra" and "Mitch" are now in the abandoned house. "Kendra" is scanning the room with her cell phone, the same kind as Andrew has. “Oh, God. Oh, God. There!” "Mitch" shoots. From the sidelines, McG is watching, ecstatic. “But I don't understand. How can the spirits appear in the camera phone?” “The video must pick up their frequencies in a way that our eyes can't.” “Oh, God. Oh, God. Right there!” "Mitch" shoots again. McG smiles “Cut! Oh, print that one. That's in the movie! Loved it, kids. Loved it.” Marty and Andrew are watching from the sidelines. “You find out there's an afterlife, and this is what you do with it?” Marty grins “I needed a little jazz on the page.”

Andrew walks among the trailers. When he passes Tara’s trailer, the door opens, and Averie comes out, clearly disheveled. She’s smirking, Tara comes outside as well, wearing a robe. “You're one hell of a P.A.” “Thank you.” Her and Andrew walk towards the gate “God, I love this town.”


	19. Folsom Prison Blues

GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER~

A man with a blowtorch is cutting open a cell. Two workers are walking down the hallway towards the man with a blowtorch. “Well this makes a lot of sense. First they close down the cellblock, and now they open it back up again? There's your tax dollars at work, huh?” Worker 2 laughs, she gets Worker 1’s flash light. He stands next to the other man. He grabs onto the cell door and pulls, the other man uses a crowbar to help. The door creaks slightly, then pulls free. The woman hands the flashlight back to the first worker. Both of them shine flashlights on the back wall of the cell, which is cracked and appears to have dried blood on it.

“Yikes. Would've hate to have gotten thrown in here.” she breathes out, and her breath is eerily visible. She watches it float to the ceiling, “Hey, you feel that, man?” “Yeah. The two pause and then turn, something seemingly having flown between them.” “Whoa!” Papers are shot into the air as something passes through the hall, and they flutter down to the ground. “What was that?”

In a cell, different hallway, Randall is lying on the bottom bed of a bunk bed, reading. He flips a page and chuckles. Suddenly,the light above him flickers. He looks up at it, startled. The lights in the hallway start to flicker as well. He gets up and walks to his door, wrapping his fingers around the bars in his small window. The lights continue to flicker, suddenly something dark flashes by his cell. He steps back quickly from the window, making a startled noise. He slowly walks back up to the window and stares upwards.

“Hey! Guard! Hey!” the security monitors in the guard station, one on the top left displaying Randall’s cell. The picture is flickering, and it's the only one that does. There is a Guard, who has a clipboard on his lap and is studying it while eating a sandwich. He looks up, the monitor displaying Randall, who is yelling and waving from his cell. He puts his clipboard down and leans over, pushing a button. Immediately Randall’s voice is heard, very scratchy. “Come on, damn it! Hey! Guard! Come here! Hey!” The Guard sighs and leans back, pulling his walkie to his mouth, “Going down to B-Block. Randall again…” “Copy that.”

Randall, still looking up and yelling. “Hey!” “Shut up already.” “Guard, hey!” “Come on, Randall, I'm trying to sleep.” “You telling me you didn't see that? What, are you blind? Hey!” A baton slams against the bars and the guard appears after it. “Randall, cool it.” “Cool it my ass, man – there's somebody out there.” “Randall, turn out your light and go to sleep. I'm not going to say it again.” He turns slowly and starts walking back to his bed, he lies down and turns out his light.

“Lights out, B-Block.” “Copy that, lights out.” The lights shut off as the guard is walking down the hallway, then someone with long white hair appears behind him. He turns around and sees no one. He continues walking, then hears a noise and turns again. He stops half way through the door, and stares into the darkness. Suddenly the door slams down on his arm. He screams in pain and the prisoners yell. The guard looks up from his arm, his lips bleeding, and stares at the thing in terror, “No…no…No! No! Nooo! No! No! Nooo! Aah! Nooooo!” Randall looks into the hallway, his eyes widen as the guard continues to scream.

~MUSEUM – NIGHT~

A sign reads: “ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY EXHIBITIONS MAIN MESOAMERICAN ART ANNEX PRE COLOMBIAN LIFE SECOND COLIMA UNEARTHED” The door at the end of the hallway opens, Andrew and Averie walk in through the door, Averie holding a map and flashlight, Andrew holding just a flashlight. She looks at the map, “This way.” They walk down the hallway and he sighs “I hate this plan, Av.” “Yeah, I got that the first ten times I heard it.” They turn a corner, walking side by side. They pass a motion sensor on the wall at mid-calf height. The light on the motion sensor turns red as they keep walking, they stop and Andrew kneels undoing the lock on a glass exhibition case.

The camera pans up to his face as he carefully takes a decorated axe from the case. Averie is holding a hooked dagger from another case. He turns the axe around in his hands. There is a noise and he looks up, she looks back at him. Andrew turns his head and they put down the weapons, going to leave. They walk quickly towards the exit. But when they turn a corner they are met by two policemen. “Freeze!” they turn back the other way, but two more policemen block their path. “Don't move!” they go down the last hallway open to them, and there is yet another pair of cops standing there. “I said freeze! Hold it right there! Put your hands on your heads! Get down on your knees! Now!” Andrew and Averie comply, kneeling down. Two of the cops walk closer and handcuff them. She smiles slightly, he doesn't look pleased.

~POLICE STATION~

Andrew is standing in front of a mugshot board holding a sign that says: “81A3826 Little Rock City Police. Little Rock, AR.” He reaches about 6'5 on the board, his light brown hair is messy and falling in front of his face, his blue eyes are in an icy glare straight ahead. The camera clicks, and his picture turns black and white. “To the right” the camera clicks again, and he is now facing his right, looking broody. A few minutes later, Averie stands where Andrew was, holding a similar sign. “18A3827 Little Rock City Police. Little Rock, AR.” She reaches just under 6'1 and is grinning, her dirty blonde hair is slightly longer than Andrew’s, her light brown eyes have a glimmer of proudness in them.

“I call this one the Blue Steel.” she poses for the camera. “Yeah, that's right.” the photographer sneers, the camera clicks and the picture changes to black and white as Andrew’s did. “To the right.” The camera clicks again, and she faces the right, “All right, back to the lineup.” “Wait, who looks better, me or Nick Nolte?” “Shut up.”

-

Averie sits in an interrogation room, playing with the edge of the table, the door opens and two men enter. One is Agent Henriksen, “Well, it's about time. I'll have a cheeseburger, no onions.” “You think you're funny.” “I think I'm adorable.” she smiles. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Averie. I'm Special Agent Victor Henriksen. This is my partner, Special Agent Reid.” She looks at him worried, but still slightly smiling, “Henriksen? Not the Milwaukee Agent Henriksen?” “Live and in person.” She gives a short laugh, Henriksen pulls out a picture of Averie looking over her shoulder, “Oh, nice shot.” He tosses the picture onto the table, “You can hang that up in your cell at Super Max.”

“All right, maybe we can just forget the cheeseburger, huh?” “Oh, yeah. Keep that game face on. Try and cover how up cornered you are. Read her the charges.” Reid nods, “Mail fraud, credit card fraud, grave desecration-” “Skip to the good ones.” “Armed robbery, kidnapping and, oh, three counts of first degree murder.” “And after Milwaukee your brother is now a suspect in a murder case himself. I'd say for you two, screwed to hell is a major understatement.” She looks at him, nervously, “Well, where there's life there's hope, huh?” He laughs, “See? That's what I kept thinking as I was searching for your asses all over hell and gone. Your dad taught you well. The way you cover your tracks and after Milwaukee the way you vanished.” “Don’t talk about my Dad.”

He shrugs, “After all of that, you get tripped up on a motion detector. Pretty rookie move. Gotta say I was… surprised.” Averie stares at the table when the door beside her opens. She looks at it, as does Henriksen and Reid. In walks Public Defender Mara Daniels, “Averie Walker?” “In the flesh.” Henriksen looks at her “And you are?” “Mara Daniels, Public Defender's office.” She shakes hands with Averie, “I've been assigned you and your brother's case.” “Huh.” “Are you Henriksen?” “Yeah, and we're not quite done here.” “Ah, yeah, you are. And if you don't mind, I would like to meet with my clients. Privately.”

-

Andrew now sits next to Averie, Mara sits across from them, Averie turns to Andrew and he glares at her. “Unfortunately your arraignment on the breaking and entering charge won't be until Tuesday.” “And they'll keep us in the county jail?” “That's right.” “Green River County Detention Center?” “Yes. And considering the charges you're facing, no judge in his right mind is going to grant you bail.” “Yeah, we figured that.” “Extradition papers have already been filed from five separate states, Missouri and Wisconsin being the biggest concern – the bank robbery and the murders.” He nods, and then frowns, “How long can we stall extradition?” “A week, maybe less.”

~GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER – DAY~

Rear bus doors open, revealing a shackled man, who gets out. Following her is Averie, holding the chains attached to her wrists and feet, Andrew follows. “All right, let's go. Watch your step. Come on, keep moving.” The prisoners walk past the front of the bus in a line and along the rec yard. Prisoners line up against the fence and catcall at the new convicts. One of them points at Averie, “You're mine, baby!” she smiles and looks at Andrew “Don't worry, Andy. I promise I won't trade you for smokes.” “I’m pretty sure he was talking about you.” “Eh, I won’t let anything happen to either of us.”

The new prisoners, flanked by two guards and each carrying blankets and a roll of toilet paper, walk down the hallway in a line. One of the guards unlocks a cell door, the first prisoner in line and Averie enter the cell. “I call the top bunk.” she says, chuckling, her roommate scoffs and puts his things on top, “Or not..” She turns and watches Andrew walk into the cell across the hallway from hers. He nods to his roommate, who stands slowly and glares at him. Andrew’s eyes widen and he turns around. The cell doors close on him and Averie as they stare at each other.

Later, the prisoners are lined up to be frisked by a guard, and scanned with a metal-detecting rod by another. Averie and Andrew are well down the line and standing together, “My roommate doesn't say much – how's yours?” “Just keeps staring at me... in a way that makes me really uneasy.” “It sounds like you're making new friends.” “Av, this is, without a doubt, the dumbest, craziest thing we've ever done. And that's in a long, storied career of dumb and crazy.” “Calm down. It's all part of the plan.”

She steps forward and he grabs her arm to stop her “Oh really? So Henriksen showing up was part of the plan?” “Yeah, that guy moves a little faster than I thought. Look, all we gotta do is find this ghost, put the sucker down... then grab ourselves a couple of teardrop tattoos-” “That's not funny. Averie, what about this escape plan? I –” “It's 100 percent sure. I wouldn't have gone if it wasn't. I mean, come on, man, this place has all the signs of a haunting. Innocent people are dead. Four so far.” He scoffs, “Yeah, innocent.” “You from Texas all of a sudden? Just because these people are in jail, doesn't mean they deserve to die. If we don't stop this, people are going to continue to die. We do this job wherever it takes us.”

“Look, Averie, just be straight with me, all right? You're doing this for Adam.” “Damn right.” “Well, you barely even know the guy.” “We know he was in the Corps with Dad. He saved Dad's life. We owe him.” “But don't you think he's asking a little much?” “It doesn't matter. We may not be saints, but we're loyal and we pay our debts. Now, that means something to me, and it ought to you. I'm not thrilled about this either, but Adam asked us to hunt this thing down, and that's what we're going to do.”

At ‘dinner’ Sam looks at spaghetti on his fork and sniffs at it. He and Averie are eating at a table, she looks up “You know, this chicken isn't half bad.” “Great.” He puts down his fork and slides his plate towards her. “Finish mine. All right, so let's go back over this, Av.” She stabs his chicken with a fork and moves it to her own plate. “Spirit suspect number one is Mark Moody, right?” she nods “Yeah, psycho killer extraordinaire – Satanism, ritual murderer, died in jail.” “You sure it's him?” “Pretty sure.” “Averie, considering our circumstances, I'm gonna need a little bit better than "pretty sure.".” “Fine then, really pretty sure. Moody died of a heart attack, which is what all the victims in here are dying of. He died in the old cell block, which they closed after he croaked, 30 years ago. They just opened that back up. That's when the killings started.”

“So you think his spirit was released somehow?” “Um-hmm.” “But what if he was already cremated?” “I'm guessing there's something in the old block that's keeping him around. And whatever it is, we got to find it. And, uh, you know the rest.” Averie gets up and walks away, Andrew following. He bumps into a tattooed prisoner, he looks at the other guy with wide eyes “Sorry. I –” “Watch where you're going.” he backs away scared “Yeah. Sure. I just –” Averie walks over, “He said he was sorry.” “You talking to me? Are you talking to me?” “Great, another guy who's seen "Taxi Driver" too many times. Yeah, I'm talking to you. Trust me. Let it go.”

Andrew grabs her arm, “Averie, don’t.” “An-” “No.” he drags her away. She watches as the tattooed prisoner walks back to his table, “See, that's how you got to talk to these guys.” she winks, “Instant respect.” He watches as the prisoner talks to a different person, they both start walking over, “You were saying?” he says with a shaky voice. The other prisoner is following the tattooed prisoner towards Averie as other prisoners look on. “Oh, great.” the tattooed prisoner throws a punch at her. She catches him and holds him from behind, “We can end this right now – no harm, no foul.” he breaks Averie’s hold. She grabs him again and slams him against a wall, he stomps on Averie’s foot. She steps back and kicks him in the groin and then sends him flying backwards to the ground with another kick.

“That’s enough!” The Warden and a guard walk up. “On your feet, Lucas.” “Yes, sir, boss.” The Warden takes out his baton and holds it under Averie’s chin as the guard holds her. “What's your name?” “Walker.” “Well, Walker... not a good start. Solitary. You too, Lucas.” Guards grab Lucas as the one tightens his grip on Averie. “We havin fun yet?” she asks the guard holding her, the other prisoner points at Andrew, then makes a slicing motion across his neck. Andrew looks at him and nods, shaking slightly.

~SOLITARY~

Averie sits in her cell, back to the wall, “I wish I had a baseball.” Lucas looks through the small window in the door of his cell, across the hallway from her cell. “What? What'd you say?” “I said, "I wish I had a baseball.".” Averie moves so he can look through her own window. “You know, like – like Steve McQueen.” “Yeah? Well, I wish I had a bat so I could bash your frickin' head in.” “Okay.” She goes back to leaning against the wall, and starts staring at the ceiling “Well, so much for the bonding in solitary moment.” The lights flicker and her breath becomes visible. She looks through the window and sees a clock in the hallway, which reads 8:30. The second hand is just past the 4 and is not moving.

“Crap. Lucas, listen to me. Stay very still.” Lucas looks through his window. There is a whooshing sound and two narrowed eyes look back at him. He steps back in alarm, a hand grabs him from behind and turns his face around. Lucas grimaces, then screams, as dark veins pop out on and spread across his face. Averie is looking through her own window, though she probably can't see what is happening in Lucas’s cell.

~LITTLE ROCK POLICE STATION. MORNING~

Henriksen is reading a file at his desk, Reid is looking at paperwork in the back room. Mara Daniels walks into the room, “Henriksen.” “Hey, Daniels.” “Can I have a word?” “Have a seat. What's on your mind?” “I've been going through the Walker charges. And I got to say, there are some weird inconsistencies.” “Welcome to my world.” She shakes her head “I talked to a cop in Baltimore who swears up and down these two saved her life and helped her catch a killer. And there's a witness to your bank robbery in Milwaukee. She swears Andrew and Averie saved her life.” “Saved her from what?” “She was a little unclear on that.” “That's because she's nuts. Look, I was in Milwaukee. I spoke to her. I spoke to all the witnesses.”

“And?” Henriksen sighs “And, all I know is, wherever these guys go, people die. It's that simple.” “I don't know what it is. They just don't seem cut and dry guilty to me. I think there's more to this.” “Like what?” “I don't know. Can't put my finger on it. It's just... strange.” he laughs “Strange. Yeah. Okay. Grownups are trying to get some work done here, so... if you don't mind…” she glares at him and leaves.

~GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER~

Andrew and a prisoner are mopping floors, “How are you doing?” “I'm 54 years old, mopping the floor of a crapper with bars on the windows. How you think I'm doing?” Andrew tenses up “All right. Bad icebreaker. I'm Andrew.” “Randall.” “Nice to meet y– Randall. Hey, weren't you there the night that guard died?” “Yeah.” “Well, what happened?” “They say the stress of the job got him.” “Yeah? What do you say?” Randall ignores his question, “Why're you in, kid?” “‘Cause I got an idiot for a sibling.” “That'll do it.” “Yeah..” “Well, this place ain't so bad. Compared to the old cellblock, this is the damn Hilton.”

Andrew looks at him, surprised “You spent time in the old block?” “Oh, yeah, I was a regular customer.” “Didn't they have Mark Moody there for a while?” “He was there. I was there, too, the night that lunatic bought it.” “Yeah? It was a heart attack, right?” “Sure, his heart stopped right after the guard stopped using his head for batting practice. The next morning, I was in his cell, mopping up the blood. What a mess.” “Wait. So he – he was beaten and – and nobody reported it?” Randall sighs “You kept your mouth shut, unless you wanted to die from the same heart attack, you know?” “Randall, exactly how much blood was there?”

~GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER REC YARD~

Averie is playing cards with a prisoner at an outdoor table. “Call.” she says, the prisoner smirks “Three aces.” “That's a bad beat. That is a bad beat…” Averie watches as he picks up the cigarettes that are on the table between them. Averie has a large pile of cigarettes next to her, Andrew is standing nearby watching the game. “...but, see, I'm full... 3s over aces.” The prisoner drops the cigarettes, slams his hand down on the table and stands up. Averie laughs and holds open her hands “Sorry. Hey, it's a cruel game, my friend.” The prisoner flings down his cards and walks off.

Andrew sits down across from Averie as she gathers the cigarettes she won. “It's like picking low hanging fruit.” he shakes his head, “You don't even smoke.” “Are you kidding me? This is the currency of the realm.” “Look. I got a good lead on Moody.” “Me too. His spirit paid a little visit last night.” “What?” “The clock stopped, the flickering lights, cold spot... I mean, he did everything but yell boo.” He leans against the table “Well, what happened?” “He walked right by me. Lucas wasn't so lucky. I mean, the way he was screaming... Guy was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to go like that. What'd you find out on Moody?”

“Yeah, I think I know where we might find his remains. Blood in his old cell.” she looks at him confused, “Blood? I thought it was a heart attack.” “It was, after the guards worked him over. I mean, apparently there was so much blood in there, they had trouble mopping it out.” “How’re we gonna get in?” “I got a plan.” She smiles “That's the Andy I know. Come on, man, you're like Clint Eastwood from "Escape From Alcatraz." “The problem is even if we do find something, how are we gonna burn it? We don't have any accelerants.” “It's a good thing I'm like James Garner.” She stands up and holds up two hands full of cigarettes, “Hey, fellas! Who's ready to deal?”

-

Andrew and Averie are in line for food, “You sure about this?” she asks, “Pretty sure.” “Yeah, well, considering our circumstances, I'd like a little better than "pretty sure.".” “Okay, really pretty sure.” She looks up at whoever’s handing out food. “I'd like mine al dente.”The server dumps spaghetti noodles and sauce on Averie;s tray, chuckling “Perfect.” She walks to a table at which Lucas’s friend is sitting. “Save room for dessert, Tiny.” she sits down across from Tiny. “Hey, I wanted to ask you, 'cause I couldn't help but notice that you are two tons of fun. Just curious – is it like a thyroid problem, or is it some deep seated self-esteem issue?” Andrew is on his feet nearby, watching. “'Cause, you know, they're, uh they're just doughnuts. They're not love.”

Andrew is now standing near two guards, Tiny shoves his tray towards AVerie and punches her in the face. She goes flying to the ground, the Warden walks around a corner near the two guards. She gets up and hits Tiny three times, but her punches seem to have no impact. He grabs the front of Dean's prison jumpsuit and he headbutts her. She stumbles back with a hand to his head. A guard puts his baton around Tiny’s neck from behind, he picks up the guard and throws him down on the table.

“Guys, give me a hand.” the Warden says, him and two guards who were standing near Andrew hurry over as Tiny punches Averie again and grabs him from behind. During the struggle, Andrew slips into the kitchen. He grabs a salt shaker and climbs into a vent, the guards finally succeed at pulling Tiny away from Averie, she falls to the floor. Another guard helps her up and the Warden grabs her face, “If we'd waited any longer, you'd be dead.” she wipes some blood off her head “You waited long enough.” The Warden shoves his baton into Averie’s stomach, she doubles over and the Warden grabs the back of her head as he kneels to her level, “Do yourself a favor. Don't talk.” He looks at the guards “Take them both to the Infirmary.”

Andrew lowers himself down into a hallway in the old cellblock. He opens a cell door and lifts the cover on the bed, revealing a large bloodstain. He sprinkles salt and lighter fluid onto the bloodstain, lights a match and sets the bedding on fire.

~INFIRMARY~

Averie and Tiny are in adjacent cells with wire fence walls and a curtain between them. “Hey, Tiny.” “Yeah?” “Hey, sorry about the things I was saying earlier. Can't really tell you why, but I had to get you angry. So, uh... Anyway, sorry.” “It's okay. Truth is, I have low self-esteem issues. My old man treated me and my brother like crap, right up till the day he died.” “How'd he die?” “My brother shot him.” Oh.” She sees the ghost of a woman standing on the other side of a fenced-off area of the infirmary. The clock on the wall reads 8:45 and the second hand is at 12. “Oh, crap.” “What is it?” She gets off her bed, looks around for something to use against the ghost and rattles the door of her cell. The ghost walks through the fence she was standing behind. The time on the clock hasn't changed, “What's going on? Averie?”

Averie grabs a salt shaker from a tray at the end of her bed. The ghost comes closer and she is flung back against the wall. She falls to the floor with a groan, “What is it?” The ghost is now standing over Averie. She puts a hand to her chest and she groans. She breathes out and her breath is visible, she flings salt at her and she disappears. Averie lies back, groaning in pain. “Oh! No! No!” Tiny yells, “Tiny!” Averie gets to her feet. She can see his figure through the curtain as he slides down the fenced wall of his cell. “Tiny!” she slams the door of her cell and kicks it, “Guards! Help!”

~GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER REC YARD~

Andrew and Averie are walking across the yard. “Wait. So you're telling me it wasn't Moody?” “Not unless he liked going around dressed like a nurse. Poor Tiny, man. Poor giant Tiny..” “Wait, so this is – this is, like the ghost of some nurse who worked here or something?” “I don't know, man. I guess.” “At this point, "I don't know" isn't working for me. See, uh, I thought we were done. I called Adam. It's happening. We're getting out tonight.” “I guess we got to do some quick research, then.” “How? I mean, maybe you haven't noticed... we're in jail.”

-

They stand, talking to Randall, “So you want to know about some nurse?” Andrew nods. “Why you want to know?” Averie sighs “We got our reasons. But, uh, we'll make it worth your while.” she shows him a pack of cigarettes, which he takes. “So, this nurse, she would have white hair, one screwed up eye – is that ringing a bell?” “Yeah. Yeah, I remember her.” “You remember her name?” “No, that's still kind of fuzzy.” Andrew rolls his eyes. Averie and him look at each other, “Give it to him.” “I earned these.” “Averie.” She hands Randall another pack of cigarettes, “Glockner. Nurse Glockner. Nasty old bitch worked here in the '70s.” “You knew her?”

“I met her once. Had to get a tetanus shot. She damn near jabbed the needle through my arm. At least I got out of there alive.” Andrew looks at him, “What do you mean?” “I've heard these stories. I don't know if they were true. Cons love to talk, but we're all liars.” “What kind of stories?” “Guys would go up with a cold. Next thing you know, they're in a body bag. A whole rash of heart attacks – young guys, old guys.” “Heart attacks?” “Yeah. Story was Glockner had it out for cons and she did this, uh, Charles Bronson thing with a hypodermic. Anyway, that was the rumor. Nobody ever proved anything.” “Whatever happened to Glockner?” “I don't know. I finished my bit and left. Next time I landed back in here, she was gone.”

-

Andrew and Averie are sitting at a small table in the dining area. “Okay, so let's say those stories on Glockner were true.” Averie nods, “It's a thought. In life, she's a vigilante. In death, Same thing.” “Right. But how is she tied in with the old cellblock? And if she's going after cons, why kill that one guard?” “I did hear in the yard that that guard wasn't exactly squeaky clean, so maybe she's going after anybody that breaks a law, like me.” “You heard in the yard?” “Yeah.” “Does it bother you at all how easily you seem to fit in here?” “No, not really.” “All right. Either way, we need more info on Glockner. If she's buried – if so, where? And we got five hours to get it. No, no. Don't give me that "we got to see this thing through" look. We are leaving tonight, no matter what.” “I don't want to let Adam down. We do owe him.” “Yeah, but we don't owe him our lives, Av.” She gets up and starts walking away, “Where are you going?” “I'm gonna go talk with our Lawyer.”

-

Mara Daniels and Averie are talking on phone handsets while sitting on opposite sides of a glass window. “You want me to what?” “Her name was Glockner. She worked here as a nurse in the '70s. I need you to find out everything you can about her but, most importantly how she died and where she's buried.” “Are you nuts? Do you have any idea the kind of trouble you're in?” “I have a vague notion.” “Good. So let's forget about some random nurse and talk about your case.” “Mara – it's Mara, right?” “Yeah.” “I get that you're trying to help me, okay? I do, but believe me when I say that this is the best way that you can help.” “Really? How? Explain that to me.” “I wish I could, but I can't. I'm just gonna have to ask you to trust me on this.”

“Why should I? Henriksen says you're a monster.” Averie frowns “I'm a monster? I'm – Well, he's wrong, okay? I'm not what they say I am.” “Everybody says that.” “Yeah. If you're as smart a P.D. as I think you are, then you can tell with just one look whether or not your clients are guilty, just like that. So I want you to look at me, really look, and you tell me – am I guilty? We're not the bad guys.”

~GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER REC YARD. NIGHT~

Andrew is walking across the yard. He sees Averie enter the yard and holds up a hand to catch her attention. “Did she go for it?” “No. No, not so much. But maybe she'll still come around.” “We can't wait to find out.” “We could give it another day.” “No, no, no. We're leaving tonight, and that's it.” “So we're just gonna let these people die?” “Don't give me that, all right? This was your stupid plan. I went along with it, but we're sticking to the plan.” “Okay. Uh, you leave. I'm gonna stay.” She turns and starts to walk away, he reaches for her arm, “Hey, don't turn away. Don't turn away from me!”

“Fuck you.” “What?! Fuck you!” He grabs Averie’s shoulder and spins her around. She pushes him back and punches him in the jaw. A guard grabs Andrew and the Warden grabs Averie as another guard rushes in, “All right, hard case. I see the usual methods ain't gonna work with you.” he says, he looks up at Andrew, “You either.” A guard takes hold of Averie’s arms from behind and the Warden grabs the back of Andrew’s jacket. The guard and Warden take them inside.

The guard nods and leaves. The Warden steps menacingly close to Averie, then smiles and puts a hand on the side of her neck. “Adam, you have been beating the holy hell out of me, man.” Adam turns her so he can take off her handcuffs. “Sorry, Averie. I thought I was going easy on you. Just, uh, trying to make it look real.” she laughs “Yeah. Well, mission accomplished.” Adam takes off Andrew’s handcuffs too. “So, is it over?” “No. Turns out, it wasn't Moody.” “What?” “Yeah.” “Then who?” “Uh, we think it's some nurse who used to work here, but we're shy on all the intel we need.”

Averie looks at Andrew “Which is why we should stick around until we find it.” “Oh, and uh.” he takes an envelope out of his jacket pocket. Andrew glares at his sister “You want to have this fight for real, Av? We got to go.” “I'm just say–” “We've got to go now!” “Guys?” Adam says, “We are leaving, Averie. Otherwise, we'll be leaving in shackles for Milwaukee, with Henriksen as company.” “Oh, come on.” she mutters. Adam sighs “Guys!” the both look at him and simultaneously yell “What?!” “Your Lawyer left this for you.” he holds up the envelope and Averie takes it.

“Would you look at that? Man, I am freaking velvety smooth.” she says, smiling, “You want to, maybe, open it up after you're done patting yourself on the back?” “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She opens the envelope and reads, “Wow.” “What? You want to share with the class, Av?” “Glockner died in the old cellblock after Moody bit it. Seems they had a little inmate uprising. She got caught in the middle. They dragged her to a solitary cell and gave her a severe cerebral edema.” “Someone bashed her head in?” “Yeah.” “Does it say where she's buried?” “Yep.” “All right, then, let's get you the hell out of here.” Adam says. “Don't worry, Adam. We'll get rid of this thing.”

He removes a vent cover on a wall, “Good, 'cause I want it out of my prison.” he walks back over to them. “Uh... I can't thank you enough for this. I know it was asking a lot but you still came through. Your daddy raised you right.” Andrew smiles “Well, we owed you.” Averie looks at him and nods. “Yeah.” Adam pulls Andrew into a hug, then does the same to Averie. “Hope to see you again, huh? Just not in here, okay?” “Yeah, we'll do our best.” “Oh... Where do you want it?” she asks, “What?” he asks, then chuckles. He points to his cheek, she pulls back her arm to swing a punch. Adam holds up a hand, “Um... Make it look real, kid.” She punches as hard as she can, he stumbles back and they leave.

-

They climb over railings outside the prison, she sees the Impala “Oh, baby, are you a sight for sore eyes.” She runs her hand along the Impala. She and Andrew open the driver and passenger doors and take off their prison jackets. “You know, I almost wish I could see Henriksen's face.” “Really? 'Cause I'd be happy if I never saw him again. We're not really out of the woods yet, Av, you know?” Averie puts on her own jacket over her prison jumpsuit. “Yeah.” An alarm sounds and a red light above one of the prison doors starts to flash. “Good point.” They get into the Impala and drive away as Andrew buttons his shirt.

-

Adam is sitting at a table. Henriksen is leaning over the other side of the table and Reid is standing nearby. “I told you. One of them came up behind me.” “You let them get the drop on you.” “Yeah. I screwed up, all right? What do you want me to say?” “I want to know where they're headed.” “How the hell would I know?” Henriksen chuckles “Let's start over again.” “For God's sake.” Adam stands up. Henriksen walks around the table to stand face-to-face with him. “Again. I want to know everything they did today, from the minute they woke up.” “Got up, breakfast, visiting hours, rec time.” “Any visitors?” “Just their Lawyer.”

~LITTLE ROCK POLICE STATION~

Mara sits in Henriksen and Reid’s office. “It's an easy question. What did you and Averie talk about?” “I have already told you. It was a private conversation between me and my client.” “Right, and three hours later he just happened to bust out. Now, tell me what she said.”

~CEMETERY~

Andrew and Averie take shovels and bags out of the trunk of the Impala. They are wearing their normal clothes, they set off across the cemetery. “We got to move it. If Henriksen gets to the Lawyer…” “I thought she couldn't say anything – you know, that whole Lawyer-client privilege thing.” “The privilege doesn't apply to us, Av.”So she'll talk?” “She has to.” “Oh, that's freaking super.”

-

“Let me make this simple. You don't come clean, I will put you on the hook for aiding and abetting.” Henriksen says, “Oh, that – that is ridiculous.” “You don't think that I can? You think this is some kind of game, lady? I am the last person you want to screw with. Now, tell me what she said.” “She wanted me to do some research. On a prison nurse that died in 1976.” “What? Why?” “I don't know.” “What else?” “They wanted to know where she was buried.” “Did you find out where?” “Yeah.” “Did you tell them?” “Yeah.” “Tell me.” “Mountainside Cemetery.”

-

Averie is standing over a grave holding a flashlight. The headstone reads "Dolores Glockner 1934 – 1976." Andrew is in the grave digging, they look at each other as they hear police sirens, he hits the coffin “I got her.”

~GREEN RIVER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER~

Adam is washing his face at a row of sinks. The clock on the wall reads 8:33. The second hand advances two seconds, then stops moving. The lights flicker and Adam’s breath becomes visible. He exhales again and turns around. The Ghost of Nurse Glockner is right in front of him. She opens her mouth wide and yells, he goes flying. He turns over onto his back and the ghost zooms closer to him. She puts a hand on his chest and he gasps, “You let them go!”

~CEMETERY~

The officers, Henriksen and Reid move quickly through the cemetery. Andrew salts Nurse Glockner's corpse and Averie pours on lighter fluid, he lights a match.

-

Adam’s mouth is now wide open and his body jerks.

-

The corpse goes up in flames as Andrew and Averie watch, they watch as the corpse burns. Henriksen, Reid, and the officers continue rushing through the yard.

-

Dark veins spread across Adam’s face and he groans. The ghost stands and goes up in flames, he coughs and leans up on an elbow.

-

Andrew and Averie pack up and rush out of the graveyard, the sign next to them says ‘Green Valley Cemetery.’

~MOUNTAINSIDE CEMETERY~

“Are you sure this is the right damn cemetery?” Reid nods, “She said Mountainside. Mountainside Cemetery.” Henriksen smiles in anger, “She lied, they aren’t here, at all.” “Then where are they?” “What other cemeteries are there?” “Only three. This one, Little Rock Cemetery, and Green Valley Cemetery.” “How far is the last one?” “An hour away.” “Damnit.”

~GREEN VALLEY CEMETERY~

Averie and Andrew put their equipment in the trunk of the Impala and walk to the driver's and passenger's doors. “Thought we were screwed before?” he asks, “Yeah, I know. We got to go deep this time.” “"Deep," Av? We should go to Yemen.” “Ooh, I'm – I'm not sure I'm ready to go that deep.” They get in the Impala and drive away.


	20. What is and What Never Should Be

Averie sits in the Impala, her phone rings and she answers, “Yeah?” “There's a cop car outside.” Andrew’s voice says, full of fear. “You think it's for us?” “I don't know.” “I don't see how. I mean we ditched the plates, the credit cards.” She hears him sigh in relief, “They're leaving. False alarm.” “You see. Nothing to worry about.” “Yeah, being fugitives? Freaking dance party.“ “Hey man, most chicks dig the danger vibe.”

~MOTEL ROOM~

Andrew is standing in front of a table with books everywhere. They're all about a specific demon called Djinn, and on top of them is Ethan’s journal, open on the same subject. “So, you got anything yet?” he asks, “Are you kidding me? How could I? You got me sifting through like 50 square miles of real estate here.” he can clearly hear that she is upset, “Well, that's where all the victims disappeared.” “Yeah well, I got at least squat. What about you?” “Just one thing. I'm pretty sure of it now. We’re hunting a Djinn.” He pulls a book closer, “A freaking genie?” “Yeah.” “What? You think these suckers can really grant wishes?”

He sighs, “I don't know. I guess they're powerful enough. But not exactly like Barbara Eden and the harem pants. I mean, Djinn have been feeding off people for centuries. They're all over the Korans.” “My God. Barbara Eden was hot, wasn't she? Way hotter than that Bewitched chick.” “Are you even listening to me?” “Ruins usually. Uh. Bigger the better, more places to hide.” “Yeah, I think I saw a place, couple miles back. I'm gonna go check it out.” “No, no, no, no. Come pick me up first.” “No. I'm sure it's nothing. I just wanna take a look around.” He looks at the phone as she hangs up, he sighs and sets it down.

~FACTORY~

Averie looks back and forth in it a few times, and then starts walking back the same direction she came from but this time in the hall. On her right among all the old things and such she passes a figure, which is a Djinn. Averie doesn't see it and walks on. Suddenly it attacks her, pinning her against the window wall. She drops the flashlight and the Djinn holds her other hand that contains the knife up against the wall, slams it a few times and she drops the knife. The Djinn opens its left hand and it begins to glow in blue, his eyes do the same. It puts its glowing hand on Averie’s forehead and her eyes roll up as they become washed-out blue.

~APARTMENT. LAWRENCE, KANSAS. NIGHT~

Averie wakes up and sees a man lying next to her, she quickly gets out of the bed and goes into a living room, she grabs the phone and calls Andrew. “Averie?” “Andrew?” “What’s going on?” “I don't know. I don't know where I am.” “What? What happened?” “The uh, the Djinn. It attacked me.” “The gin? You're... drinking gin?” “No, asshat. The Djinn. The uh, scary creature. Remember? It put its hand on me and I woke up next to some hot guy.” “A guy? You mean Jackson?” “Who?” “Averie, you're drunk. You're drunk-dialing me.” “I'm not drunk. Quit screwing around!” “Look, it's late. Alright, just get some sleep and I'll... see you tomorrow. Okay?” “Wait, Andrew! Andrew!”

She puts the phone down and glances at a table with mail on it, she walks over and picks up an envelope addressed to Jackson Ashford 53 Barker Ave Lawrence, KS 66044. “Lawrence?” she whispers to herself, the next two envelopes are addressed to Averie, same address as Jackson’s. “Honey? What are you doing up?” Jackson asks quietly, “Hey, Jackson. Uh, I just uh…” “Aw, did Noah have a nightmare?” “Yeah.” she says, then thinks, Noah? But he’s- no.. “Did he go back to sleep?” “He did, I’ll lay back down in a few minutes.” “Okay. Don't stay up too long.” She watches him go back into the room, she walks down the hall and opens a door with Noah’s name on the door, she sees him fast asleep with a moon night light plugged in next to his bed.

She walks over and sits down on the bed, she places a hand on Noah’s back and starts tearing up. “Noah, oh my god. I’ve missed you everyday..My sweet boy..” she stares at him. She covers him with the blanket and then smiles, “Don’t be scared, Angels are watching over you.” she kisses his forehead before leaving the room, quietly shutting the door. She sees a few pictures sitting on the fireplace, a few of her and Jackson, a baby picture of Noah. “No.” she mutters, she stares at the one picture and grabs a jacket before rushing out the door.

~THE OLD WALKER HOUSE~

Averie drives up in the Impala across the street. She shuts off the engine and sees that it's the house from her childhood. The house is just how it had been when her and Andrew were young, before Madison burned, before everything. She climbs the stairs with nervousness, she knocks on the door and the light turns on. “Averie?” Madison asks, Averie just stares at her a few seconds, not believing her eyes. Her voice is broken when she talks to her, on the verge of crying, “Mom?” “What are you doing here? Are you alright?” “I don't know..” “Well... come inside.”

Averie walks in and Madison closes the door. She can't take her eyes off of her, Madison turns around “Jackson just called and said you just took off all of a sudden.” “Jackson? Right... Let me ask you a question. When I was a kid, what did you always tell me when you put me to bed?” “Averie, I don't understand -” “Just answer the question, please.” “I told you angels are watching over you.” “I don't believe it.” She pulls Madison into a tight hug, “Honey, you're scaring me. Now just tell me what's going on.” “You don't think that wishes can, can really…”

“What?” she sighs, “Forget it.” she hugs Madison again “I get it. I'm just uh... I'm happy to see you, that's all.” She almost starts crying but pulls it together and releases the hug, looking at her mother with happiness and pain in her eyes. “You look beautiful.” she says, Madison chuckles “Thanks, but really, what’s wrong?” “Hey, when I was uh... When I was young was there ever a fire here?” She walks over to a bookshelf and looks at the photos, and few books on it. “No. Never.” “I thought there was.” Averie sees a picture of Ethan and Madison with her and Andrew as children, “I guess I was wrong.”

There is a different picture of Averie in a cap, looking into the camera with a bright smile. Another picture of Averie and her prom date, clearly taken at prom. Another of Andrew as a graduate. She picks up a picture, It's in black and white and shows Ethan, dressed in baseball clothes with a cap and a baseball bat in his hand, ready to swing, smiling at the camera. “Dad’s on a softball team.” she whispers, she turns around and Madison smiles at her softly “Dad's... Dad's softball team. It's... That's funny to me.” “He loved that stupid team.” “Dad's dead? And the thing that killed him was a…” “A stroke. He died in his sleep, you know that.”

She nods, “That - that's great. That he went peacefully, I mean. That... that sure beats the alternative.” Madison frowns, “You've been drinking.” “No, I haven't. Mom.” She watches her move to the phone “Just gonna call Jackson and have him come pick you up, Okay?” “Wait. No, no!” Averie puts her hand over Madison which is over the phone about to pick it up “Don't - don't do that. Don't do that. I wanna stay here.” “Why?” “Because I miss the place. It's Okay, you - you go to bed. Okay?”

Averie goes over to the couch, sits down and looks around a bit. Madison walks up to her, and puts her fingers through her hair. “Are you sure you're alright?” “I think so.” “Okay.” She bends down and kisses her forehead, like all mothers do. She starts out the room, stops by the door. “Get some rest. I love you.” “I love you too.” She smiles and then goes to bed, Averie stays on the couch, looking perplexed. She glances at a picture of Andrew as a graduate with Madison and Ethan smiling proudly next to him.

-

Averie wakes up on the couch to the sound of someone’s car outside. When her eyes focus it's on a Christmas picture of Averie at 12, and Andrew at 8, with Ethan is wearing a Santa hat, looking very happy. She opens her eyes completely, sitting up, confused. She dials a phone number, she hears Andrew’s voicemail “Hey, it's me. I can't come to the pho-” she hangs up and groans.

~PROFESSOR'S OFFICE~

“But I don't think I've seen you in my class before.” the professor says, “You kiddin' me? I love your lectures. You... You make learning fun.” They laugh, “So, what can I do for you?” “What can you tell me about Djinns?” “A lot of Muslims believe the Djinn are very real. They're mentioned in the Koran.” “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Get to the wish part.” “What about it?” “Do you think they could really do it?” “Um... Uh, no. No, I don't think they can really do it. You understand these are mythic creatures?”

She looks up at him, “Yeah, I know. I-I-I know. I know. But uh... I mean in the stories. You know. Say you had a wish uh. But you never even said it out loud. You know, like that ah... that a loved one never died. Or that ah, something awful never happened.” “Supposedly, yes. I mean they have Godlike power. They can alter reality however they want. Past. Present. Future.” “Why would the Djinn do it? It was self-defense? Or maybe it's not really evil.” “Kiddo?” “Hm? “You been drinking?” “Everybody keeps asking me that. But uh... No.”

-

Averie opens the trunk to the Impala and there are only old magazines and paper cups and a rag in there, no guns or what have you. “Who'd have thought, baby. We're civilians.” She closes the trunk, and looks over at the building. There is a girl standing in a white shirt, skirt and shoes, staring at her. Averie looks at her for a little while and then starts to cross the street, walking towards her. Suddenly a car screeches to a halt as it avoids running into Averie. The driver hits the horn and she holds out a hand as she looks at the car. When she turns back towards the girl to start walking to her again, she's gone.

~WALKER HOUSE~

Averie sits in the kitchen, eating, “I tried to get hold of Andrew earlier. Where - where - where is he?” “Oh. He'll be here soon.” “Good. Dying to see him.” “Sweetie, I... Don't get me wrong. I am thrilled you are... hanging out here... all of a sudden. But uh... shouldn't you be at work?” “Work?” “At the garage.” “Right. The garage. It's where I work, yeah. No, I-I've got the day off.” Madison nods, “Alright.” Averie looks out the window “That lawn looks like it could use some mowing.” Madison looks at her surprised “You wanna mow the lawn?” “You kidding? I'd love to mow the law.” “Knock yourself out. Could think you’d never mow a lawn in your life.”

Averie starts the lawn mower. She starts to mow the lawn, looking really happy, enjoying it. She sees the neighbor across the street putting out the garbage and waves to him like a regular person does in this regular world. He waves back and then she continues the mowing.

-

She sits on the steps to the front porch, drinking a beer, feeling happy about her work on the lawn. A car drives up outside the yard. “I don't believe it.” She gets up to greet Andrew and Hannah who are getting out of the car. She attacks Hannah with a hug while Andrew takes out the luggage from the trunk. “Hannah, good to see you.” “You're, uh... Good to see you too, Averie.” She lets go and walks over to Andrew, “Hey, Andy.” “Hey.” “Look at you. You're with Hannah, it's - I don't believe it.” he laughs “Yeah.” “Where'd you guys come from?” “We just flew in from... Califor–” “California! Stanford. Huh? Law school, I bet.”

He rolls his eyes and motions to the beer in her hand, “I see you started off Mom's birthday with a bang as usual” “Wait. Mom's birthday, that's today?” “Yeah. Yeah, Averie. That's today. That's why we're here. Don't tell me you forgot.”

~RESTURANT~

They're all sitting at a round table, Andrew smiles and raises his glass “Alright. To Mom. Happy birthday.” Hannah raises her glass too “Happy birthday.” “Thank you.” They all clink their glasses in a cheer, “To Mom” Averie watches Andrew and Hannah kiss. She smiles sadly, Jackson whispers to her “I was really worried about you last night.” “Oh I'm... I'm good. I'm really good.” “Okay. What do you say, later we get you a cheeseburger?” “Oh God, yes. How did I end up with such a cool guy?” he smiles, “Just got low standards.” they giggle, Averie pulls him in for a kiss.

Andrew looks at Hannah “Alright. Jess and I actually have another surprise for mom's birthday. Ah... You wanna tell 'em?” “They're your family.” “Alright.” Madison looks at them with a smile, “Tell us what?” Andrew holds up Hannah’s left hand and there is an engagement ring on her finger. Madison laughs happily, “Oh my God! That's so wonderful.” She gets up and hugs Hannah, who's also gotten up. Jackson gets up and congratulates Andrew as Averie stays seated in shock, Madison hugs Andrew as well, “Congratulations, I just wish your Dad were here.” “Yeah. Me too.” Averie hugs Andrew tightly, “Congratulations, Andy.” “Thanks.” “I'm really glad you're happy.”

She looks over his shoulder and sees the girl who she saw on campus earlier, when she was almost hit by a car. The girl looks much filthier this time. She sees her, and brushes past Andrew to walk over. He turns around when Averie hits his shoulder while passing by. She passes a lot of people and when she passes the last one, the girl is gone. Averie turns around and looks at her family, as they stand looking at her, wondering what's up.

~WALKER HOUSE~

Madison, Hannah, and Jackson are laughing as they walk in, Andrew looks at Averie “So, Averie, what was uh... what was all that back at the restaurant?” “Ah... I-I thought I saw someone. Sure it's nothing.” Everyone looks at Madison as she speaks, “Well, I had a lovely birthday. Thank you. Good night.” Jackson smiles “Good night.” Averie and Andrew say the same thing “Night, Mom.” Andrew looks at Hannah as Madison goes upstairs, “Ready to turn in?” “Sure.” “Alright. Good night guys.” “Wait a second. Wait a second. Come on, it's not even nine o'clock yet. Let's uh... Let's go have a drink or something.”

“Yeah, maybe another time.” he says, sighing “Come on, man. Look at us. Huh? We both have beautiful people on our arms. You're engaged. Let's go celebrate.” He looks at Jackson and Hannah “Guys, can you excuse us? I just want to talk to my sister for a sec.” they leave the room, “Okay. What's gotten into you?” “What do you mean?” “I mean this whole warm, fuzzy ecstasy trip thing.” She chuckles “I'm just happy for you, Andy.” “Yeah, right. That's another thing. Since when do you call me Andy? Averie, come on. We don't talk outside of holidays.” “We don't? Well, we should. I mean, you're my brother.”

Andrew glares at her “"You're my brother"?” she looks at him “Yeah.” “You know, that's what you said when you snaked my ATM card, or when you bailed on my graduation, or when you hooked up with Rachel Nave.” “Who?” “Uh, my prom date. On prom night.” “Yeah, that does kinda sound like me. Whoa, hey man, I'm sorry about all that.” she goes to put a hand on his arm, he pulls away “No that, look, that's alright, I-I just... You know I'm not asking you to change. I-I just I... I don't know, I... guess we just don't really have anything in common. You know?” She looks at him hurt, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Yes we do. Yes we do.” “What?” “Hunting.” “Hunting? I've never been hunting in my life.” “Yeah, well. We should go at it sometime. I... I think you'd be great at it.” He scoffs and starts to walk away again, “Get some rest.”

~AVERIE’S HOUSE. MIDNIGHT~

Averie sits on the sofa, thinking, furrowed brow. Jackson offers her a beer, “My favorite. I guess you know me pretty well.” “Fraid so. You alright?” “Andy and I... You know we don't get along.” “Well, you don't spend a lot of time together. I mean, I just think you don't know each other all that well.” “Hm.” “For the record: He doesn't know what he's missing.” “I can fix things with Andrew. I can make it up to him. To everyone.” Jackson chuckles “Okay. What's gotten into you lately?” “This isn't gonna make a lick of sense to you. But I kind of feel like I've been given a second chance. And I don't wanna waste it.”

“You're right, that doesn't make any sense.” Averie leans in and kisses him. “You know, I get it.” “Get what?” “Why you're the one.” “Well. Whatever's gotten into you... I like it.” she kisses him again, they make the kiss more passionate and Jackson pulls away. “Ohhh... come on. Don't do this to me now. I've gotta get ready for work.” Averie frowns, “Go to work now?” “Yeah, I told you. I've got the night shifts on Thursday.” “You work nights at the, uh…” she follows him to their room where he gets out a pair of scrubs, “..hospital. I'm dating a nurse. That is so... respectable.” Jackson smiles at her words.

-

Averie watches TV as she drinks another beer, “And today marks the anniversary of the crash of United Britannia Flight 424.” she sits up immediately, and leans forward “Indianapolis residents held a candlelight vigil in memory of the hundred people who lost their lives…” “No, no. I stopped that crash.” She stares at the TV in shock, “Mommy?” Noah asks in a soft voice, she turns to him “Yeah, Sweetheart?” “I had a bad dream..” “Come here.” he walks over and she holds him for a few minutes, “You wanna talk about it?” he looks up at her and starts crying, “It was about Uncle Andy, he got hurt by a monster.”

Her eyes widen, “What did the monster look like?” “It’s hands were glowing blue and it made him fall asleep.” she tightens her hold on him as he starts crying more, “Oh, baby, it was just a dream. That’s all it was.” She looks up at the TV “More ‘Grizzly Attacks’ have been occurring in Black Water Ridge Colorado.” She shuts the TV off and looks down at Noah, who has cried himself to sleep, she carries him to his room and lays him in bed, “Don’t worry, Mommy will be right back.”

~CEMETERY~

Averie stands in front of Ethan’s grave, it’s marked as “Ethan J. Walker 1954-2006 LOVING HUSBAND & FATHER” She stares at it, “All of them. Everyone that you saved, everyone Andy and I saved. They're all dead. And there's this woman that's haunting me. I don't know why. I don't know what the connection is, not yet anyway. It's like my old life is coming after me or something. Like it like it doesn't want me to be happy. Course I know what you'd say. Well, not the you that played softball but... So go hunt the Djinn. He put you here, it can put you back. Your happiness for all those people's lives, no contest. Right? But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero?”

She starts crying, “What about us, huh? Mom's not supposed to live her life. Andy’s not supposed to get married. I’m not supposed to have my son back? Why do we have to sacrifice everything, Dad? It’s..” tears stream down her face as she turns and walks away. She glances back at the grave “Even though you were a bad father, at least I had a good life. I had you and Andrew, now it’s like I have nothing. All I’m doing is living someone else’s life, one where everything is worse than my real one.”

~WALKER HOUSE~

Andrew hears something outside and gets up, he starts down the stairs. He stops in the doorway, leaning looking into the living room. He sees the window open and under it, someone is in one of the cabinets. He goes in, and throws a punch. The person gets up and counterattacks, throwing him on the floor, it’s Averie. “That was so easy, I'm embarrassed for you.” she says, “Averie? What the hell are you doing here?” She gets up, letting him get up off the floor. They stand in front of the window much like the first fight between them when Averie broke into Andrew’s apartment.

“I was looking for a beer.” “In the china cabinet?” Andrew goes to turn on the light and sees the box with their parents silverware on the floor, open. He looks at her “That's mom's silver.” “Andrew-” “What, you... broke into the house... to steal Mom's silver?” “It's not what it looks like. Okay, I didn't have a choice.” “Oh really? Why? What's so damn important you gotta steal from your own mother?” “You want the truth?” “Yeah, yeah I do.” She sighs, “I owe somebody money.” “Who?” “A bookie. I lost big on a game, I gotta bring him the cash tonight.” “I can't believe we're even related.” “Andrew, I'm sorry.”

“Yeah.” he mutters “I'm sorry we don't get along. And I wish to hell I could stay and fix it. But I gotta do this. People's lives depend on it.” She turns around and takes a knife from the box. He frowns “What are you talking about?” “Nothing. Forget it. Just uh... hey, tell Mom I love her.” he sighs, seeing that something is up. Averie goes for the door, “Averie.” “I'll see you, Andy.” She walks out the door, one last look at Andrew. He stands in the living room where she left him, confused.

Averie sits in the car, engine going, thinking. Suddenly the passenger door opens and Andrew gets in the car. She looks over “Get out of the car.” “I'm going with you.” “You're just gonna slow me down.” “Tough.” “This is dangerous and you could get hurt.” “Yeah, and so could you, Averie.” “Andrew!” “Look, whatever stupid thing you're about to do, you're not doing it alone. And that's that.” She sighs, “I don't understand. Why are you doing this?” “Because you're still my sister.” “Okay, Bitch.” “What are you calling me a bitch for?” Averie looks at him sadly “You're supposed to say jerk.” “What?” “Never mind.” She puts the Impala in gear and they drive off.

-

Andrew looks down on a bag on the seat between them. “What's in the bag?” she looks up “Nothin'.” “Nothin'?” “Yeah, nothin'.” “Fine.” He grabs the bag and begins to open it, “You don't wanna do that.” “Oh really?” he takes out what was in the bag. It's a container of lamb’s blood. “What the hell is this?” “Blood.” “Yeah, I can see that it's blood, Averie! What the hell is it doing in here?” “You don't really wanna know.” “No I-I do really wanna know. I really, really, do.” She chuckles “Yeah, well you're gonna find out sooner or later. I needed a silver knife dipped in lambs blood.” “You needed a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood, why?” “Because there's this creature. A Djinn. And I have to hunt it.”

He looks at her worried “Okay. Um... stop the car.” Averie bites her lip “I know how it sounds.” “Great. Just... stop the car.” “It's the truth, Andrew. Alright, there are things out there in the dark. There – there – there are bad things. There are nightmare things. And people have to be saved and if we don't save them, then nobody will.” He nods, “Look, I wanna help you, alright. I-I really really do, but you're having some kind of psychotic breakdown so... just –” “I wish.” Andrew picks up his phone and starts dialing a number. Averie rolls down her window, grabs his phone and throws it out and then rolls it up again. “What the hell was that, Averie? That was my phone!”

“I'm not going to a rubber room, Andy. And we've got work to do.” she says, he frowns “What? I was just trying to help you out. I don't, I don't want you to get yourself hurt.” “What? You protect me?” “Yeah!” She laughs, “That's hilarious. Why don't you just sit tight and try not to get us both killed.”

~OLD FACTORY. HOURS LATER~

Averie looks over at Andrew, who is asleep. She picks up her flashlight and shines it on his face. He wakes with a startle, “Where are we?” “Well, we're not in Kansas anymore.” she smiles at him. When there's no reaction the smile dies “We’re in Illinois.” “And you think something's in there?” “I know it is.” They head inside, the same hallway where Averie stood before, looking for the Djinn. “See? There's nothing here, Averie.” Andrew says, Averie starts walking down the hallway, same way as last time when she got attacked. He closely follows behind, “Look, Jackson and Noah gotta be worried sick about you. Come on, let- Let's just go.” “Shh!”

They hear sounds and Andrew finally starts to take it seriously, “What the hell is that?” she turns and sees the panicked look on his face, “Stay behind me and keep your mouth shut.” They walk into a room and see bodies hanging from the ceiling appearing before them. It's the same bodies Averie saw in the closet earlier. She sees a drained blood bag hanging next to one of the bodies. “What the hell?” Andrew asks, Averie looks further to the right, and she sees the woman she has been seeing all this time, hanging like the bodies.

They approach her and see another blood bag next to her, filled with blood. Her eyes are open and she looks pretty dead. “It's her.” he looks at the bag and at her wrists that are tied, just like the others. She begins to make sounds, “Averie, what's going on?” she grabs him “Shh!” she drags him away and he sees what she saw the Djinn is coming out. When it comes out from behind a wall and walks up behind the woman, they are gone. “Where's my dad? I wonder how... Don't.” She moves her feet away from the Djinn while she sees that Averie and Andrew have hidden. “Where's my dad?”

The Djinn touches her face, “Sleep.” they watch as blue flares go over her cheek as he strokes her. His eyes glow bright blue, “Sleep.” her head falls forward, eyes still open and her feet relax, falling forward again. The Djinn rests his face against her arms, touching her right arm and breathing heavily, eyes closed. He then goes for the blood bag, pulls out one straw and puts it to his mouth, drinking her blood. Andrew sees this and coughs in disgust. The Djinn turns around right away, eyes flash blue and he begins to move towards their hiding place. When he gets there, they are gone.

The Djinn walks up some creaky steps, Andrew and Averie are standing below them, looking up, following his steps. When a door closes in the background Andrew begins to breathe loudly, “This is real? You're not crazy?” “She didn't know where she was. She thought she was with her father.”

-

They walk up to the woman again, Averie sighs “What if that's what the Djinn does? It doesn't grant you a wish, it just makes you think it has.” Andrew looks at her, “Look. That thing could come back, alright?” She walks past him in the opposite direction of the woman, she looks up at a light bulb and it starts to flicker in brighter light. She begins to get flashes of herself, hanging like the woman. Averie gets a little trouble breathing, probably in shock for starting to realize what's going on. “Averie, please.” She looks at him while breathing heavily “What if I'm like her? What if I'm tied up here someplace? What if all this is in my head?”

She looks at the woman, “I mean it could, you know, maybe it gives us some kind of supernatural acid, and then just feeds on us slowly.” Andrew shakes his head “No. Averie, that doesn't make sense. Okay?” “What if that's why she keeps appearing to me? She's not a spirit. It's - it's like more and more like I'm catching flashes of reality. You know, like I'm in here somewhere. I'm - I'm catatonic, and I'm taking all this stuff in but I, but I can't snap out of it.” “Yeah, Okay, look. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right. I was wrong. You're not crazy but we – we – we need to get out of here. Fast.” he starts to pull Dean with him.

Averie pulls her arm loose from him, he looks at her and throws his arms out like what? “I don't think you're real.” she says, he grabs her arm “Do, you feel that? You feel this? I'm real. This is not an acid trip. I'm real, and that thing is gonna come down here and kill us for real. Now, please.” “There's one way to be sure.” she pulls out the silver knife, Andrew backs away “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?” “It's an old wives' tale. If you're about to die in a dream, you wake up.” “No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's crazy. Alright?” “Maybe.”

Andrew goes back towards her “You're not gonna kill yourself-” she holds out the knife and her other hand to stop him, “Or I'm gonna wake up. One or the other.” “Okay. This isn't a dream, alright. I'm here, with you, now. And you're about to kill yourself, Averie.” “No, I'm pretty sure. Like, 90% sure. But I'm sure enough.” She turns the knife on herself, and takes both her hands to the handle, ready to thrust it into herself. “WAIT!” Suddenly Madison walks up next to her, in the same nightgown as she died in. Behind Andrew, Jackson and Noah appear. “Why'd you have to keep digging, Mommy? We could’ve been happy again.” Dean looks away from Noah, at Madison.

Hannah appears on her right, “Why couldn't you have left well enough alone?” Averie looks around, “You were happy.” Madison stands in front of her, “Put the knife down, honey.” “You're not real. None of it is.” she says with tears in her eyes, “It doesn't matter. It's still better than anything you had.” “What?” “It's everything you want. We're a family again. Let's go home.” “I'll die. The Djinn will... drain the life out of me in a couple of days.” “But in here, with us. It'll feel like years. Like a lifetime.” She looks over at Andrew who half-smiles and nods to him, “I promise. No more pain, or fear. Just love and comfort.” She takes Averie’s chin in her hand, he looks down at her, “Averie, stay with us.”

“You don't have to worry about Andrew anymore or Noah.” Hannah says, she looks over at her “You get to watch them live full lives.” Jackson walks up to her, taking his face in her hands, and kissing her. “We can have a future together. We have our family back together. I love you, Averie. Please.” Andrew looks at her, “I heard what you said "Why is it our job to save everyone? Haven't we done enough?" I'm begging you. Give me the knife.” Averie looks at Noah, Andrew and Madison with tears in her eyes. Noah hugs her tightly, “Don’t leave me again, Mommy, please!” She backs away, looking at the floor. She raises her head, looking at them.

“I'm sorry.” she thrusts the knife into herself, blood immediately comes out of his mouth. “Mommy! No!” Andrew pushes Noah aside and kneels in front of Averie “Averie! Averie! No! No!” She closes her eyes, and then opens them weakley the real Andrew is now in front of her saying her name. Averie is hanging from the ceiling like the other woman, eyes open. A blood bag hangs next to her, “Oh God. Come on. Hey. Wake up. Wake up, damn it!” She grunts a little and her eyes begin to focus on him, “Hey. Hey..” he says, she smiles slightly “Ahh... Auntie Em. There's no place like home.” “Thank God. Thought I lost you for a second.”

He pulls the tube out of her throat, “You almost did.” “Oh god. Let's get you down.” Andrew reaches up and starts to cut through the rope as she winces over the pain and grunts a little. There are two bright blue eyes next to him in the shadows, and the Djinn comes out. She sees the Djinn “Andrew, behind!” He turns around, going at the Djinn with the knife. He has Andrew for a moment, gets him to drop the knife. Averie tries to pull herself loose where he had started cutting through the rope before.

The Djinn gets the upper hand on Andrew and has him by the throat and moves his hand to his forehead, but Andrew has a hold of his wrist, trying to stop him. The Djinn opens his fist and blue light begins to appear around his hand, like it did when it got Averie. When its hand is almost at his forehead Averie thrusts the knife into the back of the Djinn, turns it and the blue light goes out of its eyes. It closes its eyes, its head rolls down and when she pulls out the knife, it falls to the ground dead. Andrew breathes heavily from being strangled and Averie doesn't look too good.

-

Averie walks up to the girl, she watches a tear roll down one cheek. She puts her hand to the girl’s neck, feeling for a pulse. “She's still alive.” she says, handing the knife over to Andrew, she pulls out the tube in her neck as he cuts the rope. She catches her as she goes down “I gotcha. I gotcha. We're gonna get you out of here, Okay? I gotcha.” the girl makes small wheezing sounds.

~MOTEL ROOM. SUNRISE~

Averie is on the bed, trying to sleep, Andrew is on the phone “Okay, uh, thank you so much for the update. Okay, bye.” he hangs up and turns to Averie “That was the hospital. Girl's been stabilized. Good chance she's gonna pull through.” “That's good.” “Yeah. How 'bout you? You alright?” “Yeah, I'm alright. Should have seen it, Andy Our lives. You were such a wozzie.” He chuckles, “So we didn't get along then, huh?” “No.” “Yeah... I thought it was supposed to, to be this perfect fantasy.” “It wasn't. Was just a wish. I wished for mom to live. That mom never died, we never went hunting and you and me just never uh... You know.”

He sits down on the bed next to her “Yeah. Well, I'm glad we do. And I'm glad you dug yourself out, Av. Most people wouldn't have the strength, would have just stayed.” “Yeah... Lucky me. I gotta tell you though, man. You know, you had Hannah. Mom had a grandson... “ “Yeah, but... it wasn't real.” “I know. But I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay so bad. I mean, ever since Dad... all I can think about is how much this job's cost us. We've lost so much. We've... sacrificed so much.” She starts to tear up, he places a hand on her arm “But people are alive because of you. It's worth it, Av. It is. It's not fair, and... you know, it hurts like hell, but... it's worth it.” she nods and he smiles softly, “Now, get some sleep, we gotta leave in the morning.”


	21. All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I

DINNER. NIGHT~

Averie sits in the front seat of the Impala and hands Andrew some money “Hey, don't forget the extra onions this time, huh?” he gets out “Av, I'm the one whose gonna have to ride in the car with your extra onions.” She grins and he sighs, “Hey, see if they've got any pie.” Glaring, Andrew shuts the door. “Bring me some pie!” she watches him go into the café and talk to the waiter. The Impala’s radio becomes staticky, she glances down and fiddles with it, but it turns off completely. When she looks back up, the inside of the café is empty. No waiter, no Andrew.

She runs into the café, one customer at a booth is dead, face down in a puddle of blood. “Andrew?” she takes out her gun and looks around. She finds that the employees are also dead, with their throats slit. She opens the back door and looks around outside, “Andrew?!” when she closes the door, she notices a substance on the door. “Sulfur.” Averie races back out the front door, heading back to the car. “Andrew! Andy!” there is no response “Andrew? Andy!” Her lip starts quivering, “Andrew!”

~UNKNOWN LOCATION~

Andrew wakes up in the middle of nowhere. He is lying on the ground, and a few abandoned buildings are lining the street. He stands and takes out his phone, but gets no cell reception, he continues to search the deserted town but doesn't find much. Most of the buildings are broken down or locked from the outside. Suddenly, he hears a creaking noise from nearby. He grabs a plank of wood, ready to fight, when Alex Gallagher turns the corner, he jumps back startled, “Alex?” “Andrew! What are you doing here?” “I don't know.”

Alex looks at the building beside them “What am I doing here?!” “I don't know.” “Where are we?!” “Alex, look, calm down.” I can't calm down! I just woke up in freaking Frontierland!” Andrew nods, “What's the last thing you remember?” “Honestly? My fourth bong load. It was weird. All of a sudden, there was this really intense smell. Like, uh…” “Sulfur?” “How did you know that?” He suddenly remembers what happened last “Averie..” “Your sister –- is she here?” “I don't know where she is. I don't know if she's…” They hear a woman screaming in the distance, the two of them approach another deserted building. She is locked inside, banging on the door for help, “Hello?” “Help me! Help me, please!” “Okay, I'm here. We're gonna get you out, all right? Just hold on a second.” “Please!”

Andrew grabs a large rock and smashes the padlock on the door, “All right, one second.” “Please!” He unlocks the door and Frankie Till steps out, “Frankie?” “Oh my God! Andrew!” she hugs him, Alex looks at them “So, I guess you guys know each other.” “Yeah. How did you—I mean, how did you—” “Frankie, have you been here this whole time?” “What whole time? I just woke up in there, like, half an hour ago.” “Well, you've been gone for five months. My sister and I have been looking for you everywhere.” “That's impossible, because I saw you two days ago.” “You didn't. I'm sorry.” “But…that makes no sense. That's not—oh my God! My fiancée, Brady! If I've been missing for that long, he must be freaking out!”

“Well..” Frankie sees Alex and stares at him, confused, “Hey, I’m Alex. Also freaking out.” “Okay. What's happening?” Andrew frowns, “I don't really know yet. But I know one thing: I know what the three of us have in common.” They hear a man's voice, calling from the distance, “Hello? Is anybody there?” “Maybe more than three…” they run to the side of another building. The man, Jake Talley, is accompanied by a red-head, Lily, Andrew is the first to see them “Hello? Hey! Hey, you guys alright?” “I think so.” “I'm Andrew.” “I'm Jake, she’s Lily.” “Are there any more of you?”

“No.” Lily looks at them, “How did we even get here? A minute ago, I was in San Diego.” Jake chuckles, “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I went to sleep last night in Afghanistan.” Andrew sighs, “Let me take a wild guess: you two are both twenty-three? We all are. And we all have abilities.” “What?” “It started a little over a year ago? You found you could do things? Things you didn't think were possible? I have visions. I see things before they happen.” “Yeah. Me, too.” Frankie says.

Alex shrugs “Yeah, and I can put thoughts into people's heads. Like, make them do stuff. But don't worry, I don't think it works on you guys. Oh, but get this –- I've been practicing. Training my brain, like meditation. So now, it's not just thoughts I can beam out, but images, too. Like, anything I want. Bam! People see it. This one guy I know –- total dick, right? I used it on him: gay p0rn. All hours of the day. It was just like…you should have seen the look on his face.” The other four look at him, concerned, Lily frowns “So, you go, "Simon says give me your wallet", and they do?” she looks at Andrew “You have visions? That's great! I'd kill for something like that.”

“Lily, listen, it's okay.” “No. It's not. I touch people? Their hearts stop. I can barely leave my house. My life's not exactly improved. So, screw you. I just wanna go home.” Jake turns to her “And what, we don't?” “You know what, don't talk to me like that--” “Hey, guys, please. Look, whether we like it or not, we're all here, and so we all have to deal with this.” Andrew says, “Who brought us here?” Alex asks, “It's less of a "who". It's more of a "what".” Frankie sighs, “What does that mean?” “It's a demon.”

~HIGHWAY~

Averie and Dean are parked on the side of the road, poring over a map.] Bobby: This is it. All demonic signs and omens over the past month. Dean: Are you joking? There's nothing here. Bobby: Exactly. Dean: Well, come on, there's gotta be something. What about the normal, low-level stuff? You know, exorcisms, that kind of thing. Bobby: That's what I'm telling you: there's nothing. It's completely quiet.” “Well, how are we supposed to look for Andrew? What, do we just close our eyes and point?” Her phone rings, she reads the caller ID, it’s James. “James, what do you got?” “Okay, listen, it's a big negatory on Andrew.” “Oh, come on, man! You've gotta give us something. We're looking at a three thousand-mile haystack here.”

“Listen, Averie, I did find something.” “Well, what?” “I can't talk over this line.” “Come on, I don't have time for this!” “Make time, okay? Because this –- [he stops as a customer walks by]What's up? What's going on? [The customer passes by, and he goes back to her]Not only does this almost definitely help you find your brother, this is…it's huge. So get here. Now.” She sighs as he hangs up, then looks at Dean, “I guess we’re going to the Roadhouse.”

~UNKNOWN LOCATION~

“So, we're soldiers in a demon war to bring on the Apocalypse?” Jake asks Andrew, “When you put it like that— “ “And we've been picked?” “Yes.” “Why us?” “I'm not sure, okay? But look, I just know—” Frankie looks up at him, “Andrew, I'm sorry. Psychics and spoon-bending is one thing, but demons?” “Look, I know it sounds crazy, but—” “It doesn't just sound it.” “I don't really care what you think, okay? If we're all gathered here together, then that means it's starting and that we've gotta—” Jake shakes his head “The only thing I've gotta do is stay away from wackjobs, okay? I've heard enough. I'm better off on my own. FYI, so are you.”

Andrew follows him, “Jake, hold on. Jake!” Jake ignores him and continues walking until he is alone in the town. He sees a little girl standing inside one of the buildings. She stares at him through the door, then vanishes. He follows her, entering the abandoned schoolroom, “Hello?” the girl can be heard giggling somewhere in the room. “It's all right. Don't be scared. Are you lost?” He then hears screeching coming from the chalkboard. He turns to look at it, and the words "I will not kill" are written over and over again on the board. The girl appears in the room, laughing. Her nails grow to form claws, and her face contorts “Get back!”

Andrew suddenly enters the building, grabbing an iron poker and hitting the girl with it. She dissolves into a cloud of black smoke, which exits the schoolroom. The other three join Jake and him, “Just so you know? That was a demon. Now, that thing –- I'm not sure, but I think it was an Acheri. A demon that disguises itself as a little girl. That still doesn't tell us where we are. Alex, are you with me or what?” he turns around, Alex looks at him scared, “Give me a minute. I'm still working through, "Demons are real".” The group leaves the building and keeps walking. In front of one of the buildings is a large, rusty bell hanging from a wooden structure, “I've seen that bell before. I think I know where we are now: Cold Oak, South Dakota. A town so haunted, every single resident fled.”

Frankie rolls her eyes, “Swell. Good to know we're somewhere so historical.” Lily looks up “Why in the world would that demon or whatever put us here?” Andrew frowns, “I'm wondering the same thing.” “You know what? It doesn't matter. Clearly, the only sane thing to do here is get the hell out of Dodge.” “Wait, hold on. Lily, the only way out is through miles of woods.” “Beats hanging out with demons.” “Look, we don't know what's going on yet. I mean, we don't even know how many of them are out there right now.” Jake nods and looks at her, “Yeah, he's right. We should—” “Don't say "we"! I'm not part of "we". I have nothing in common with any of you!” “Okay, look, I know—” She glares at him, “You don't know anything! I accidentally touched my girlfriend. Now she’s dead!”

The rest of them look at her, stunned and sad. Andrew looks down, “I'm sorry.” “Whatever. I feel like I'm in a nightmare, and it just keeps getting worse and worse.” “I've lost people, too. I have a sister out there right now that could be dead, for all I know. We're all in bad shape. But I'm telling you, the best way out of this is to stick together.” “Fine.” he nods, and the group continues looking around the town. “We're looking for iron, silver, salt –- any kind of weapon.” Jake looks confused “Salt is a weapon?” “It's a brave new world.” Alex groans “Well, hopefully there's food in your world, because I'm frickin' starving.” They enter another building. Lily looks like she is about to follow, but stays behind. She wanders off on her own, away from the group.

~ROADHOUSE~

Averie and Dean turn the corner to the Roadhouse. When they get there, however, the entire building has burned to the ground. “What the hell?” they get out of the car and begin walking among the debris. Every single part of the Roadhouse has been destroyed. Dean shakes his head “Oh, my God.” “You see Natalie?” “No. No James, either.” Averie bends down and sees James watch in the pile of rubble. She pulls on it and sees it is still attached to James’ very burnt corpse. “Oh, damn it!”

~COLD OAK, SOUTH DAKOTA.~

Lily is walking in the woods, trying to find a way out, when she hears the little girl giggling. She continues walking, trying to ignore it. Meanwhile, Andrew is searching one of the abandoned houses. He finds a knife and picks it up, he turns back to Frankie, who is massaging her head, “Hey, you all right?” “Yeah, I'm just…I don't know, a little dizzy.” “Are you sure it's not some kind of—” “What? Some kind of freaky vision thing? No, more like I'd kill for a sandwich. I haven't eaten since…well, who knows? No, don't worry. I'm fine. Except for every single thing that's happening.” “You guys! I found something!” Alex yells, the two of them join the other two men. Alex is holding up two bags, “Salt!” “That's great. Now, we all can…where's Lily?” “Lily?” Frankie calls out, “Lily!?”

They suddenly hear the little girl giggling nearby, the four of them walk outside. At the top of a water tower, Lily is hanging from a noose, dead. Frankie screams, “Oh, my God! Okay, that's officially—Andrew, she's dead! She's dead! You said we were chosen for a reason. That is not chosen! That's killed! Okay, we have to get out of here.” Alex nods, “Yeah, I second that emotion.” Jake frowns, “Not sure that's an option.” “What?” Andrew sighs, “Lily was trying to leave. The demon's not gonna let us get away that easy. We've gotta gear up for the next attack.” “Oh, gear up?” Frankie says, “Yeah.” “Okay, well, I'm not a soldier. I can't do that!” “Well, if you wanna stay alive, you're gonna have to. Let's go.”

“I'll get her down.” Jake says, looking up sadly at Lily. Andrew frowns and looks away “You know, I was just thinking about how much Averie would help right now. I'd give my arm for a working phone.” Alex thinks for a moment “You know, you may not need one. I've never tried it long-distance before, but do you have anything of Averie’s on you? Like, something she touched?” He reaches into his pocket, he feels the good luck charm she had given it to him when he left for Stanford “Just in case you need any luck.” He sighs and pulls out a receipt, “Uh…I've got a receipt. Would that work?” “Yeah.” Alex looks at the signature on the receipt, “A. Hasselhoff?” “Yeah, that's her signature. It's hard to explain.” “All right.”

~ROADHOUSE~

Dean walks away from the ashes, “This is..” “What the hell did James know? We've got no way of knowing where Natalie is. Or if she's even alive. We've got no clue what James was gonna tell us. Now, how the hell are we gonna find Andrew?” “We'll find him.” Averie clutches her head in pain, he looks over at her “Averie?” She groans and doubles over and sees an image of the Cold Oak bell very quickly. He helps her stand up, “What was that?” she sighs “I don't know. A headache?” “You get headaches like that a lot?” “No. Must be the stress. I could have sworn I saw something.” “What do you mean? Like a vision? Like what Andrew gets?” “What? No!” “I'm just saying.” “Come on, I'm not some psychic.”

Suddenly, the vision comes back, Averie falls against the car in pain. She sees another image, this time of Andrew. “Averie? Averie! Are you with me?” “Yeah, I think so. I saw Andrew. I saw him, Dean.” “It was a vision.” She nods, “Yeah. I don't know how, but yeah. Whew. That was about as fun as getting kicked in the jewels.” “What else did you see?” “Uh… there was a bell.” “What kind of bell?” “Like a big bell with some kind of engraving on it, I don't know.” “Engraving?” “Yeah.” “Was it a tree? Like, an oak tree?” She looks up “Yeah, yeah, exactly.” “I know where Andrew is.”

~COLD OAK. NIGHT~

Jake and Andrew are in a barn, trying to break some of the iron bars off one of the machines. Jake grabs one of the bars and rips it off with his bare hands, Andrew stares at him, stunned. He shrugs, “I'm not Superman or anything. It's no big deal.” “You were in Afghanistan when this started?” “Yeah, I started getting headaches. And then there was this accident. This guy flipped his vehicle on a bad road. He got pinned underneath. I lifted it off him like it was nothing. Everybody said it was a fluke adrenaline thing.” “But then you did it again, right?” “Bench-pressed 800 pounds, stone-cold calm. I never told anybody, of course. It was just too crazy.” “Yeah. Crazy's relative.” “I'm starting to get that.” “Yeah.” “By the way, I appreciate what you're doing here.”

He looks at Jake, confused “What am I doing?” “Keeping calm. Keeping them calm. Especially considering how freaked to hell you really are. I've been in some deep crap before myself. I know the look.” “You wanna know the truth? I've got this sister, right? And she's always telling me how she's gonna watch out for me, how everything's gonna be okay. You know, kind of like I've been telling them.” “I don't know if I believe it this time. I mean, the size of what's coming –- it's bigger than anyone has ever seen. I mean, it's gonna get bad. And I don't know if—” “If we're gonna make it? It doesn't matter if we believe it. Only matters that they do.”

-

Later, Andrew and Frankie are in one of the houses, lining the doors and windows with salt. She chuckles “My horoscope said I shouldn't have gotten out of bed. How are you doing? Holding up?” “I'm okay. What about you?” “Not so okay. Why us, Andrew? What did we do to deserve this?” “Just luck, I guess.” “If it wasn't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all. I just can't wait for this all to be over so I can just pretend it never happened. I just wanna curl up with Brady and watch bad TV.” She notices him shift uncomfortably, “What is it? Andrew...Do you know something that I don't?” “Look, Frankie...I’m sorry. I wish I didn't have to tell you this.” “Tell me what?” “When the demon broke into your house to take you…your fiancée didn't make it. I'm sorry.” He holds her close as she breaks down in his arms.

-

That night, the entire group is sitting in one room, silent. Andrew is struggling to stay awake, closing his eyes every so often. Suddenly, in the corner of the room, he sees The Yellow-Eyed Demon. “Jake! Behind you!” he yells, but Jake doesn't hear him. “Howdy, Andrew.” “I'm dreaming.” “What do you say, you and I take a little walk?” He leads him outside, “You're awfully quiet, Andrew. You're not mad at me, are you?” “I'm gonna tear you to shreds, I swear to— the demon chuckles, “When you wake up, tiger, you give it your best shot.” “Where's my sister?” “Quit worrying about Averie. I'd worry more about yourself.” “Why? You gonna kill me?” “I'm trying to help you. That's why we're talking. You're the one I'm rooting for.” He looks at hims, scared “What's that supposed to mean?” “Welcome to the Miss America pageant. Why do you think you're here? This is a competition. Only one of you crazy kids is gonna make it out of here alive.”

“I thought we were supposed to be—” “Soldiers in a coming war? That's true. You are. But here's the thing: I don't need soldiers. I need a soldier. I just need the one.” “Why?” “Well, I couldn't just come out and say that, could I? I had to let everyone think they had a fighting chance. But what I need is a leader.” Andrew stands still “To lead who?” “Oh, I've already got my army. Or I will soon, anyway.” “You son of a bitch.” “Honestly, I'm surprised you hadn't guessed. I mean, why do you think so many children flamed out already? Max Miller and Andy's brother, what's-his-name -- they weren't strong enough. I'm looking for the best and brightest of your generation.” “My generation?” “Well, there's other generations, but let's just worry about yours. That's why I'm here, Andrew. I wanna give you the inside track. You're tough. You're smart. You're well-trained, thanks to your daddy. Andrew –- Andy –- you're my favorite.”

Andrew looks at him, “You ruined my life. You killed everyone I love!” “The cost of doing business, I'm afraid. I mean, sweet little Hannah –- she just had to die. You were all set to marry that little blonde thing, become a tax Lawyer with two kids, and a little McMansion in the suburbs. I needed you sharp on the road, honing your skills. Your gifts.” “What about my mom?” The demon shrugs “That was bad luck.” “Bad luck?” “She walked in on us. Wrong place, wrong time.” “What does that mean?” “It wasn't about her. It was about you. It's always been about you.” “What?” “Well…okay. You caught me in a charitable mood. I'll show you.”

~LAWRENCE, KANSAS. NOVEMBER 2ND 1983~

The Yellow Eyed Demon looks over at Andrew, “Look familiar? It should.” Andrew watches his six-month-old self crying in his crib, while the Yellow-Eyed Demon from the past stands over him all those years ago. The present Yellow-Eyes chuckles “Relax, Andrew, this is just a hi-def instant replay. Enjoy the show.” Madison Walker enters the room, looking tired, “Ethan?” “Mom!” he yells, although he is invisible to her. “Is he hungry?” “Shh.” “Okay.” she leaves and Andrew starts screaming again “Wait, Mom. Mom!” “What did I just tell you, Andrew? She can't hear you. This isn't real, it’s a memory.”

They watch as the Past Yellow-Eyes slices his own wrist with his nail. He drips some of the blood onto Baby Andrew’s mouth. “What the hell are you doing to me?” “Better than mother's milk.” “Does this mean I have demon blood in me?” he chuckles and looks up at Andrew “Answer me!” Madison suddenly rushes back into the room. The Past Yellow-Eyes turns to her, revealing his colored eyes, “It's you.” she says, “She knew you..” Madison begins to walk closer, but the Past Yellow-Eyes forces her against the wall. They watch as she slowly moves up the wall, until she is pinned to the ceiling. “No! No! Mom!” “I don't think you wanna see the rest of this.”

~COLD OAK, SOUTH DAKOTA. MAY 11 2007~

He snaps his fingers, Andrew jolts awake in the abandoned South Dakota house. Jake stands over him “Andrew, wake up! Frankie’s missing.” They go outside, Jake sighs “I'll take the barn and the hotel. You take the houses.” “All right. Meet back here in ten minutes, Okay?” “Okay.” Andrew begins his walk to the houses. Frankie peeks her head out from around the corner, but he doesn't see her. Meanwhile, Alex has stayed back at the abandoned building. When he turns, Frankie is standing in the room with him. She drags her finger along the salt on the windowsill, breaking the line. “Frankie, where'd you go? Didn't you hear us yelling?” he asks

“Yeah, I heard you.” she puts her hands to her head in concentration. A cloud of black demon smoke appears outside the window. Since the salt line has been broken, it is able to enter the room through the window. “What are you doing?” The smoke suddenly materializes into the demonic little girl, the demon girl knocks him down and wastes no time in killing him. His blood splatters everywhere until he is completely dead. Frankie watches his corpse for a second, amused, then begins screaming. Outside, Andrew hears Frankie screaming and hurries inside. He sees her crying, pointing at Alex’s body, “Andrew! I just found him like this!” “What happened?” “I don't know!” “How'd that thing get in? Where were you?” “I just went to get some water from the well. I was only gone maybe, like, two minutes!”

“You shouldn't have gone outside. Frankie, we have to stay in here.” He notices the salt on the window, “Who did that?” “I don't know, maybe Alex--” “Alex wouldn't do that. Frankie, that line wasn't broken when I left.” “What? You don't think that I—” “I'll tell you what I think: five months. You're the only one with all that time you can't account for. And that headache you got? Right when the demon got Lily.” She looks at him, “What are you trying to say?” “What happened to you?” “Nothing!” Andrew stares her down until a minute later, she drops the act. Frankie smiles “Had you going though, didn't I? Yeah. I've been here a long time. And not alone, either. People just keep showing up. Children, like us. Batches of three or four at a time.”

He backs away from her “You killed them? All of them?” “I'm the undefeated heavyweight champ.” “Oh, my God.” “Don't think God has much to do with this, Andrew.” “How could you?” “I had no choice. It was me or them. After a while, it was easy. It was even kind of fun. I just stopped fighting it.” “Fighting what?” “Who we are, Andrew. If you just quit your hand-wringing and open yourself up, you have no idea what you can do. The learning curve is so fast, it's crazy, the switches that just flip in your brain. I can't believe I started out just having dreams. Do you know what I can do now?” “Control demons.”

She smiles “Ah, you are quick on the draw.” she puts her hands to her head. “Yeah, I'm sorry, Andy. But it's over.” The cloud of black smoke returns to the window. Just as it is about to enter, Jake comes to the building. He grabs Frankie and twists her neck, killing her instantly. The demonic smoke leaves the window and disappears. Outside, near the edge of the woods, Dean and Averie pull up in the Impala. “Looks like the rest of the way's on foot.” they open the trunk and grab their weapons, “Let’s go.”

Andrew and Jake leave and head outside, Andrew pants “I think we can make it out of here now.” “But the Acheri demon…” “No, no, no. Frankie was summoning it, controlling it. It shouldn't come back now that she's dead. We've gotta go.” “Not "we", Andrew. Only one of us is getting out of here. I'm sorry.” He looks at him in hurt “What?” “I had a vision. That Yellow-Eyed Demon or whatever it was, he talked to me. He told me how it was.” “No, Jake, listen. You can't listen to him.” “Andrew, he's not letting us go. Only one. Now, if we don't play along, he'll kill us both. Now, I like you, man. I do. But do the math here. What good's it do for both of us to die? Now, I can get out of here. I get close to the demon, I can kill the bastard.”

He shakes his head “You come with me, we can kill him together.” “How do I know you won't turn on me?” “I won't.” “I don't know that.” “Okay, look.” He takes out his knife, shows it to Jake, and places it on the ground, “Just come with me, Jake. Don't do this. Don't play into what it wants.” After a pause, Jake places his weapon on the ground as well. Andrew looks very relieved. “Okay, C’mon.” Jake punches him. With his super-strength, Andrew goes flying across the field and crashes onto the ground. He approaches, kicking down the fence and leaning over him. Andrew stands and fights back, punching Jake a few times, the two continue fighting for a while until finally, Andrew grabs the iron bar that Jake was using and knocks him out. He thinks of killing Jake with the iron rod but decides to leave him alone.

Down the street, Averie and Dean are approaching. “Andrew!” she yells, tears in her eyes “Avie!” Jake wakes up, he grabs the knife that Andrew had placed on the ground. “Andrew, look out!” Too late, Jake stabs the knife right through Andrew’s back. Averie starts sprinting to her little brother “No!” he twists the knife, creating a massive wound, before running away. Andrew falls to his knees. While Dean chases after Jake, Averie slides to the ground in front of Andrew. She grabs at his clothing, trying to keep him conscious, “Andrew!” he falls forward into Averie’s shoulder. “Whoa, whoa, Andrew. Andrew! Hey! Come here. Let me look at you.”

She places her hand on the wound, covering her entire palm in blood. She starts crying “Hey, look at me. It's not even that bad. It's not even that bad, all right? Andy? Andrew! Hey, listen to me. We're gonna patch you up, okay? You're gonna be good as new. I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take care of you. I've got you. That's my job, right? Watch out for my pain-in-the-ass little brother? Andrew? Andrew! Andy!” His eyes slide shut, his entire body slumps forward. “No. No, no, no, no. Oh, God.” With tears streaming down her face, Averie holds Andrew in her arms as he dies.


	22. All Hell Breaks Loose, Part II

~ABANDONED HOUSE. NIGHT~

Averie sits next to Andrew’s dead body, Dean walks over with some food “Averie?” “No, thanks. I'm fine.” “You should eat something.” “I said I'm fine.” “Averie...I hate to bring this up, I really do. But don't you think maybe it's time...we bury Andrew?” “No.” “We could maybe…” “What? Torch his corpse? Hunters funeral? Not yet.” “I want you to come with me.” She glances at him “I'm not going anywhere.” “Averie, please.” “Would you cut me some slack?” “I just don't think you should be alone, that's all. I gotta admit-- I could use your help. Something big is going down-- end-of-the world big.” “Well, then let it end!” she screams, tears in her eyes, “You don't mean that.”

“You don't think so? Huh? You don't think I've given enough? You don't think I've paid enough? I'm done with it. All of it. And if you know what's good for you, turn around, and get the hell out of here. Go! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please, just go.” He frowns and turns away from her, leaving the room. She takes another look at Andrew's body and a tear falls from her eye.

~WOODS~

Jake is sitting in a campsite with a fire burning. He is dozing off, but wakes to see the Yellow Eyed Demon standing in front of him. “Howdy, Jake.” “I'm--I'm dreaming aren't I?” “I've got a genius on my hands. Well congratulations, Jake. You're it--last man standing. The American Idol. I have to admit-- You weren't the horse I was bettin' on, but still, I gotta give it to you.” “Go...to hell.” “Been there...done that.” “Everything you put me through-- dragging me to that place, making me kill those people!” “All part of the beauty pageant. Jake, I needed the strongest, and that's you.” “Needed me for what?” “Oh, I got a laundry list of tasty things for you.”

Jake glares at him, “The only thing I am going to do is wake up, hunt you down, and kill you myself.” “You know, others have tried. It's not easy. Trust me, Jake. You want to be a good little soldier here.” “And if I'm not?” “If you're a bad little soldier, well, that dear old mom of yours, that adorable little sister, I'll make certain that they both live long enough to know the chewy taste of their own intestines. No, Jake. I'm not bluffing.” “What do you want me to do?” “Like I said-- genius.”

~ABANDONED HOUSE~

Averie looks at the wall, “You know, when we were little-- you couldn't have been more than 5-- you just started asking questions. How come we didn't have a mom? Why do we always have to move around? Where'd Dad go when he'd take off for days at a time? I remember I begged you-- "Quit asking, Andy. Man, you don't want to know." I just wanted you to be a kid...Just for a little while longer. I always tried to protect you...Keep you safe...Dad didn't even have to tell me. It was just always my responsibility, you know? It's like I had one job... I had one job…”

She starts crying “And I screwed it up. I blew it. And for that, I'm sorry. I guess that's what I do. I let down the people I love. I let Dad down. And now I guess I'm just supposed to let you down, too. How can I? How am I supposed to live with that? What am I supposed to do? Andy. God. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?!” She looks at him again, then looks down remembering something. “I know what I can do, Andy, I’m so sorry. I’ll be back soon.”

~CROSSROADS~

She turns the headlights on and drives recklessly. She stops on a dirt road and inserts several items into a box, including a photo ID of herself. She begins to bury the box in the middle of a crossroads. Several seconds pass in silence, as She looks right and left. “Oh come on already. Show your face, you bitch!” Suddenly, a beautiful woman in a black dress appears, “Easy sugar, you'll wake the neighbors. Averie. It's so, so good to see you. I mean it. Look at you. Gone and got your family killed. All alone in the world. It's too sweet. Excuse me, you're gonna have to give me a moment. Sometimes you gotta stop and smell the Roses.” Averie glares at her “I should send you straight back to hell.” “Oh, you should. But you won't. And I know why.” “Oh yeah?” “Yeah. Following in Daddy's footsteps. You wanna make a deal. Little Andy back from the dead, and--let me guess-- you're offering up your own soul?”

She shrugs “There are a hundred other demons who'd love to get their hands on it. And it's all yours. And all you gotta do is bring Andrew back. And give me ten years-- ten years, and then you come for me.” The demon chuckles, “You must be joking.” “That's the Same deal you give everybody else.” “You're not everybody else. Why would I want to give you anything? Keep your gutter soul. It's too tarnished, anyway.” “Nine years.” “No.” “Eight.” “You keep going, I'll keep saying no.” Averie sighs “Okay, five years. Five years, and my bill comes due. That's my last offer-- five years or no deal.”

She watches the demon shrug “Then no deal.” “Fine.” the demon walks away “Make sure you bury Andrew before he starts stinking up the joint.” “Wait.” “It's a fire sale, and everything must go.” “What do I have to do?” “First of all, quit groveling. Needy people are such a turnoff. Look... Look, I shouldn't be doing this. I could get in a lot of trouble. But what can I say? I got a blind spot for you, Averie. You're like a... puppy. You're just too fun to play with. I'll do it.” She smiles sadly, “You’ll bring him back?” “I will. And because I'm such a saint, I'll give you one year. And one year only. But here's the thing. If you try and welch or weasel your way out, then the deal is off. Andrew drops dead. He's back to rotten meat in no time. So... it's a better deal than your dad ever got. What do you say?” Averie grabs the demon and kisses her to seal the deal.

~ABANDONED HOUSE~

Andrew’s eyes open wide and he sits up on the mattress, looking around, confused, and breathing heavily. He stands in front of a mirror, examining his back with a look of pain. There is a scar from where the knife was stabbed into his spine. In the distance a door opens and Averie enters the room. She smiles, and quickly goes to him “Andy.” “Hey.” she pulls him into a tight embrace. “Ow. Uh, Av...My ba-” “I'm sorry. I'm sorry, man. I'm just...I'm just happy to see you up and around, that's all. Come on, sit down.” she lets go of him and they both sit.

“Okay. Averie...what happened to me?” “Well, what do you remember?” He frowns, “I-I saw you and Dean, and...I felt this pain. This sharp pain, like...like, white-hot, you know, and then you started running at me, and...that's about it.” “Yeah, that-- that kid, stabbed you in the back. You lost a lot of blood. It was pretty touch and go for a while.” “But Av, you can't patch up a wound that bad.” “No, Dean could. Who was that kid, anyway?” “His name's Jake. Did you get him? She shakes her head “No, he disappeared into the woods.” “We got to find him. And I swear I'm gonna tear that son of a bitch apart.”

He gets up and heads for the door, she follows him “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there, Van Damme. You just woke up, all right? Let's get you something to eat. Huh? You want something to eat?” He nods and looks over at the plate that Dean tried to give Averie earlier, “Why don’t you tell me what happened, why you went missing?”

-

“And that's when you guys showed up.” he says, putting the pizza box down “That's awful. Poor Alex.” she says, “The demon said he only wanted one of us to walk out alive.” “He told you that?” “Yep. He appeared in a dream.” “He tell you anything else?” Andrew shakes his head, “No. No. That was it. Nothing else. You know, what I don't get, Av, is if the demon only wanted one of us, then how did Jake and I both get away?” Averie tenses up “Well, I mean, they left you for dead. I'm sure they thought it was over. So now that Yellow Eyes has Jake, what's he gonna do with him?” “I don't know. But whatever it is, we gotta stop him.” “Well, hold on. You need to get your rest. We got time.”

“No, we don't.” “Andrew, oceans aren't boiling, okay? Frogs aren't raining from the sky. Let's get you your strength back first.” “Well did you call the roadhouse? Do they know anything?” “Yeah.” “Av...what is it?” “The roadhouse burned to the ground. James is dead. Probably Natalie and a lot of other hunters, too.” “Demons?” “Yeah, we think so. We think because James found something.” “What did he find?” “Dean’s working on that right now.” “Well, come on then. Dean’s only a few hours away.” He begins to stand, she stands also and grabs him by the shoulders, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop, Andrew, stop. Damn it. You almost died there. I mean, what would I have-- you just take care of yourself for a little bit, huh? Just for a little bit?” “I'm sorry. But, no.”

~DEAN’S HOUSE. SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA. DAY~

Andrew knocks on the door, Dean opens it and looks at him shocked “Hey, Dean.” “Andrew. It's good to see... you up and around.” “Yeah, well... Thanks for patching me up.” He nods “Don't mention it.” Averie chuckles “Well Andrew’s better. And we're back in it now, so...what do you know?” He leads them in, “I found something. But I'm not sure what the hell it means.” “What is it?” “Demonic omens...like a frickin' tidal wave. Cattle deaths. Lightning storms. They skyrocketed from out of nowhere. Here.” he points to Wyoming on a map. “All around here, except for one place...Southern Wyoming.” Averie looks at him “Wyoming?” “Yeah. That one area's totally clean -- spotless. It's almost as if…” “What?” “The demons are surrounding it.” she sighs, “But you don't know why?” “No, and by this point my eyes are swimming. Andrew, would you take a look at it? Maybe you could catch something I couldn't.”

“Yeah, sure.” he takes the maps from him, Dean turns around “Come on, Averie. I got some more books in the truck. Help me lug 'em in?” “Yeah.” Dean and Averie walk in the junkyard. Finally, Dean stops and turns to face Averie, “You stupid ass! What did you do? What did you do?!” He pushes her, “You made a deal...For Andrew, didn't you? How long did they give you?” “Dean..” “How long?!” “One year.” “Damn it, Averie.” She frowns, “Which is why we gotta find this yellow-eyed son of a bitch. That's why I'm gonna kill him myself. I got nothing to lose now, right?” He grabs her by the collar, “I could throttle you!” “And send me downstairs ahead of schedule?” “What is it with you Walkers, huh? You, your Dad. You're both just itching to throw yourselfs down the pit.” “That's my point. Dad brought me back, Dean. I'm not even supposed to be here. At least this way, something good could come out of it, you know? It's like my life could mean something.”

He looks at her in disbelief “What? And it didn't before?! Have you got that low of an opinion of yourself? Are you that screwed in the head?!” she starts to tear up, “I couldn't let him die, Dean. I couldn't. He's my brother.” “How's your brother gonna feel when he knows you're going to hell? How'd you feel when you knew your dad went for you?” “You can't tell him. You can take a shot at me. Whatever you have to do, but please don't tell him.” Dean begins to cry, grabbing Averie’s chin. Suddenly there is a clank from a distant part of the junkyard. They crawl to the side of a car, and grab the intruder. Once they have her by the shoulders, they recognize her as Natalie. “Natalie?” she nods and looks at them, “Oh, God.”

-

Natalie and Dean sit at a table. He pours her a shot of liquid from a flask and pushes it towards her. “Dean, is this really necessary?” “Just a belt of Holy Water, shouldn't hurt.” She lifts the shot glass to her mouth and swallows the water, “Whiskey now, if you don't mind.” Averie walks over “Nat, what happened? How'd you get out?” “I wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to be in there with everybody else. But we ran out of pretzels, of all things. It was just dumb luck.” she takes the shot of whiskey that Dean hands her, “Anyway, that's when Ash called. Panic in his voice. He told me to look in the safe. Then the call cut out. By the time I got back, the flames were sky-high. And everybody was dead. I couldn't have been gone more than fifteen minutes.”

“I’m so sorry.” Andrew says, “A lot of good people died in there. And I got to live. Lucky me.” Dean frowns, “You mentioned a safe.” “A hidden safe we keep in the basement.” “Demons get what was in it?” “No” She pulls out a map from her pocket, unfolding it and setting it down on the table. It has several black lines and X's on it, “Wyoming. What does that mean?” Averie mutters, then she follows the lines.

-

Dean reads from a book, “I don't believe it.” He sets the book on a table, Andrew rushes over “What? You got something?” “A lot more than that. Each of these X's” he points to the marks on the map, “Is an abandoned frontier church-- all mid 19th century. And all of them were built by Samuel Colt.” Averie looks at them, “Samuel Colt--the demon-killing, gunmaking Samuel Colt?” “Yep. And there's more. He built private railway lines” he points to the black lines on the map, “Connecting church to church. It just happens to lay out like this.” He connects the points on the map until the shape of a star is made, she looks at it “Tell me that's not what I think it is.” Andrew looks up at her and smiles “It's a Devil's Trap. A 100-square mile Devil's Trap.” “That's brilliant. Iron lines demons can't cross.”

Natalie leans against the wall, “I've never heard of anything that massive.” Dean chuckles “No one has.” Averie looks at him again, “And after all these years none of the lines are broken? I mean, it still works?” “Definitely.” “How do you know?” “All those omens Dean found. I mean the demons, they must be circling and they can't get in.” Dean looks at her, “Yeah, well...they're trying.” “Why? What's inside?” “That's what I've been looking for. And, uh, there's nothing except an old cowboy cemetery right in the middle.” “Well what's so important about a cemetery or...what's Colt trying to protect?” Andrew asks

“Well, unless…” “Unless what?” “What if Colt wasn't trying to keep the demons out? What if he was trying to keep something in?” Natalie shakes her head “Well that's a comforting thought.” “Yeah, you think?” Andrew looks up at Dean, terrified “Could they do it, Dean? Could they get inside?” “This thing's so powerful, you'd practically need an A-bomb to destroy it. No way a full-blood demon gets across.” “No. But I know who could.”

~WOODS~

Jake pulls onto a backroad and parks his car in front of a railroad track. He gets out of the car and looks around. After a few moments, Jake turns around and sees the Yellow Eyed Demon standing behind him. “Howdy, Jake. So, did you have a nice trip?” “I'm here. I did what you asked, now what?” “Fifty miles thataway,” he points in the opposite direction Jake is standing, across the railroad tracks. “There's a cemetery. A crypt. You got to open that for me. Think you can manage that, sport?” “You know what? Screw you and your freaky orders. Go do it yourself.” “Oh, I can't. I can't go that way--not yet.” “Why not?”

“I just can't. But if you're gonna open that crypt for me, you're gonna need a key.” he pulls the Colt from his jacket pocket and holds it in the air. Jake looks at it, “A gun?” “Oh, this isn't just any gun, Jake. This is the only gun in the whole universe that can shoot me dead.” he holds the gun to his own head, “Is that so?” “Yep. Here, take it.” He hands the Colt over to Jake, who cocks the gun and aims it at him. “Oh, my. I'm shocked at this unforeseen turn of events. Go ahead, Jake. Squeeze that trigger. Be all you can be. This will all be over. Your life can go back to normal. Of course, the Army won't take you back 'cause you're AWOL. But I'm sure you could get your old job at the factory back. But then, on the other hand, the rest of your life, and your family's, could be money and honey, health and wealth, every day is ice-cream sundae. And all you gotta do is this one little thing.”

“Why me?” “Oh, Jake. It's gotta be you. I've been waiting for you for a very long time. You're my leader. You open that crypt, and you will have your army.” He looks at him, “You're talking about the end of the world.” “No, not the end-- the beginning...a better world where your family will be protected. More than that. They'll be royalty. Buddy boy, you have the chance to get in on the ground floor of a thrilling opportunity. What'd you say? It's your call.” Jake lowers the gun and he smiles “Attababy.”

-HOURS LATER, MIDNIGHT-

A cemetery gate opens and Jake enters, walking towards a crypt. Averie is standing behind a large tomb, a gun in hand. “Howdy, Jake.” Andrew, Dean, and Natalie appear from the shadows, guns raised. Jake looks at Andrew, “Wait...you were dead. I killed you.” “Yeah? Well next time, finish the job.” “I did! I cut clean through your spinal cord, man.” He glances at Averie, Jake shakes his head “You can't be alive. You can't be.” “Okay, just take it real easy there, son.” Dean says. “And if I don't?” “Wait and see.” “What, you a tough guy all of a sudden? What are you gonna do--kill me?” Andrew shrugs “It's a thought.” “You had your chance. You couldn't.” “I won't make that mistake twice.”

Jake begins to laugh, Averie glares at him “What are you smiling at, you little bitch?” Hey Ladies, do me a favor. Put those guns to your heads.” Natalie points her gun at her temple, Averie slowly does the same thing, “See that Frankie girl was right. Once you give in to it, there's all sorts of new Jedi mind tricks you can learn.” “Let them go.” Andrew says, “Shoot him.” Natalie says her voice trembling, “You'll be mopping up their skulls before you get a shot off. Everybody, put your guns down. Except you, sweethearts.” Andrew and Dean drop their guns, Jake turns around and pulls the Colt out of his pocket.

While he is inserting it into the crypt, Dean grabs Averie and Natalie before they can shoot themselves just as Andrew shoots Jake four times in the back. Jake falls onto the ground, and Andrew positions himself in front of him. Jake gasps in pain “Please...don't. Please.” Andrew shoots Jake three more times in the chest. The four watch as two seperate engravings on the crypt spin in different directions, then stop. Dean stares “Oh, no.” “Dean, what is it?” “It's hell.” Averie pulls the Colt from the Crypt, “Take cover--now!” All four run behind tombstones as the doors to the crypt burst open. A large black mass erupts from the other side and shoots outward. The demons breach the Devil's Trap and escape.

Averie looks at it “What the hell just happened?!” “That's a devil's gate. A damn door to hell.” The railway iron is shown being bent in two, “Come on! We gotta shut that gate!” Natalie yells, Averie checks the Colt for bullets, “If the demon gave this to Jake...then maybe…” Thunder crashes and the Yellow Eyed Demon appears behind her. He flings the Colt out of Averie’s hand and into his own. “A kid shouldn't play with Daddy's guns.” he throws Averie into the air, when she lands, she hits her head on a tombstone.” Andrew watches her hit her head “Av!” He lets go of the gate door and runs to his sister. The Yellow Eyed Demon throws Andrew against a nearby tree. “I'll get to you in a minute, champ. But I'm proud of you--knew you had it in you.”

He paralizes Averie, “Sit a spell. So, Averie...I got to thank you. You see, demons can't resurrect people unless a deal is made. I know, red tape--it'll make you nuts. But thanks to you, Andy’s back in rotation. Now, I wasn't counting on that, but I'm glad. I liked him better than Jake, anyhow. Tell me--have you ever heard the expression, "If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is?".” She looks up, “You call that deal good?” “Well, it's a better shake than your Dad ever got. And you never wondered why? I'm surprised at you. I mean...you saw what your brother just did to Jake, right? That was pretty cold, wasn't it? how certain are you that what you brought back, is 100% pure Andrew? You of all people should know, that's what's dead, should stay dead. Anyway...thanks a bunch. I knew I kept you alive for some reason. Until now, anyway. I couldn't have done it without your pathetic, self-loathing, self-destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for your family.”

As the demon cocks the Colt, Ethan Walker grabs the demon from behind. The body the demon possessed falls to the ground, the gun still in hand, while Ethan and the demon wrestle. The demon pushes him to the ground and enters the body once more. When he stands up, AVerie shoots him with the Colt. The demon then falls to the ground, dead. Dean and Natalie close the gate doors and turn to see Ethan. He puts his hand on Averie’s shoulder, both are crying, while Andrew stands on the side and gives his father a nod. With another look at Averie, Ethan steps back and disappears.

-

Averie and Andrew stand over the demon's smoking body, astonished. “Well, check that off the to-do list.” she says, “You did it.” “I didn't do it alone.” “Do you think Dad really...do you think he really climbed outta hell?” “The door was open. If anyone's stubborn enough to do it...it would be him.” “Where do you think he is now?” She shakes her head, “I don't know.” “I kind of can't believe it, Av. I mean...our whole lives, everything...has been prepping for this, and now I...I kind of don't know what to say.” he looks at her as she smiles, “I do.” she kneels next to the body “That was for our Mom you son of a bitch.”

They walk towards the Impala, “You know, when Jake saw me...it was like he saw a ghost. I mean, hell, you heard him, Av. He said he killed me.” “I'm glad he was wrong.” “I don't think he was, Averie. What happened...after I was stabbed?” She looks at him, “I already told you.” “Not everything.” “Andrew, we just killed the demon. Can we celebrate for a minute?” “Did I die?” “Oh, come on.” “Did you sell your soul for me, like Dad did for you?” “Oh, come on! No!” “Tell me the truth. Tell me the truth, Averie!” “Andrew..” “How long did you get?” he asks, voice breaking, “One year. I got one year.” “You shouldn't have done that. How could you do that?” “Don't get mad at me. Don't you do that. I had to. I had to look out for you. That's my job.”

He looks at her as he starts crying, “And what do you think my job is?” “What?” “You've saved my life over and over. I mean, you sacrifice everything for me. Don't you think I'd do the same for you? You're my big brother. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. And I don't care what it takes, I'm gonna get you out of this. Guess I gotta save your ass for a change.” “Yeah.” Natalie walks up to them, “Well...Yellow Eyed Demon might be dead. But a lot more got through that gate.” “How many, you think?” “Hundred. Maybe two hundred. It's an army. He's unleashed an army.” Dean joins them “Hope to hell you boys are ready. 'Cause the war has just begun.” “Well, then.” Averie says as she throws the Colt into the Impala’s trunk “We got work to do.”


End file.
